Imaginary
by xXLadyRachelXx
Summary: One winter night, while lost in the woods when attempting to find help after her car breaks down, Sasha Banks stumbles upon a mansion of which she thought it could only exist in dreams. It's the home of curious creatures, all created by the imagination of a little girl who is much older than she looks. Sasha has no idea that one night in this mansion will change her life forever...
1. Stranded In The Cold

**Chapter 1**

 **Stranded In The Cold**

Snowflakes had been falling from the grey sky ever since the morning, and even though it was claimed on the weather forecast that the weather would be more bearable around three o'clock in the afternoon, it was still snowing when the lampposts in the streets of the snowy streets of the city were switched on with one click, followed by a barely audible monotone buzz that was sure to continue for the rest of the cold winter night. It was two weeks away from Christmas, but everywhere you looked, you could see bright, colorful lights decorating the frames of the windows from shops and apartments alike, people balancing boxes in different shapes wrapped in red or green paper with a bow on top in their arms while trying not to slip and you could hear the occasional hearty voice of a man dressed in a Santa Clause costume accompanied by the shrill chiming of the bell he waved, so loud that you could hear it from two blocks away, all in the hope that some people had that right amount of warmth in their hearts to donate some money to the local homeless shelter. It didn't matter how much money they would give, as long as those unfortunate blokes wouldn't freeze to death underneath a bridge or bench in the local park. It was one of those rare times where some people would forget about the almost daily traffic jams, exhaust fumes, the numbers of crimes that seemed to increase more and more by the day and everything else that was part of a big city like this one, and enjoy the somewhat peaceful, fairytale-like atmosphere the snow and the magic of the upcoming Christmas brought along.

However, for one young woman who lived in the more luxurious apartment complexes of the city, buying early Christmas presents for friends and family and enjoying watching the snowflakes illuminate in the faint light of the lamppost with a cup of hot chocolate was the last thing that was on her mind.

Sasha Banks could clearly feel it; a headache was slowly creeping up inside her head. That always happened when she was on the verge of becoming angry and there was a damn good reason why she was about to be mad. This was not how she had expected to spend the last couple weeks before Christmas, it almost felt like she had been scammed in some sort of way, damn it. Sasha let out an irritated sigh, hid a long lock of magenta hair behind her ear and grabbed her cell phone. If it hadn't been for that scumbag ex-boyfriend of hers, she would've now been lying on this white, leather sofa without a single care in the world, have a good glass of wine and catch up with the latest episode from her favorite reality show. A plate containing the leftovers of her dinner, pasta with spinach and fish, was lying in the sink, but she was absolutely not in the mood to get up from the sofa and wash it.

It had been five days ago since Sasha had decided to find out the reason why the hell Tyler spend most of his time texting whenever he came over to her place or when she drove all the way to see him a couple hours before he had to leave and have another professional photo shoot. Now that Sasha thought about it, she used to hope that his pretty face would make the cover of some well-known fashion or work-out magazine one day, but now she was pretty damn sure that she was going to tear each magazine that had his arrogant, cheating, scumbag face plastered on the cover to pieces. Tyler was a model with the looks that every young man envied and he had loads of cash; the perfect boyfriend for her. However, the dream of dating a male model who had big chances of stealing the show on catwalks in Milan, Barcelona and New York, was instantly shattered into smithereens right on the moment where she read those texts. It were dozens of texts, each more flirtatious than the other, all send to women she didn't know. All hell broke loose in Tyler's apartment when he came back from the bathroom and asked her what she was doing with his cell phone; the bastard managed to duck away just in time when Sasha furiously flung a vase to his head, along with some other small items that were in her reach at that moment. Then she stormed out of his apartment, not looking back for one second; cheating bastards were not worth her time. She decided to forget about Tyler and move on with her life... but she had made one mistake when she left his apartment that night.

A leather coat, a pair of high-heeled boots and three dresses were still in that cheater's apartment and there was no way in hell Sasha was going to leave them there. Did Tyler even know how much she had paid for those clothes and boots? She wanted them back, no matter how many screaming matches they were going to have about them. Sasha had called Tyler two times after she had dinner to demand to get her stuff back, but those calls were immediately canceled by him. She knew that he was doing this to piss her off, but she wasn't going to give up that easily. She dialed her ex's number for the third time and pressed her cell phone against her ear. Three monotone beeps followed with short pauses, which signaled a change; Tyler had cancelled the previous call after only one beep.

'Come on, you blonde jerk... I know you are home by this time...' Sasha mumbled. After two more beeps, it seemed like Tyler had caved in, at least, slightly perhaps.

'What?' he rudely snapped on the other side of the line.

'Um, excuse me?' Sasha asked indignantly. 'Is that how your mom taught you to greet someone on the phone?'

'Leave my mom out of this, Sasha.' Tyler hissed, trying to hold back his answer. 'What the hell do you want? I thought you never wanted to see me again, isn't that what you said when you left?'

'I'm pretty sure you might have an idea why I'm calling you.' Sasha replied calmly. Hell, this wasn't the first time she had demanded stuff that belonged to her back from ex-boyfriends. 'It has something to do that is hanging on your coat rack in the hallway... oh yeah, and in your wardrobe. Let's not forget about that.'

'Wait... what do you mean... Hold on, is this about that coat and those boots?'

'Why else do you think I called? To reconcile with you after what you did behind my back? Do you really think I am that stupid? And you still have three dresses of mine, remember?'

'Oh Christ...' Tyler groaned in annoyance. Sasha was pretty sure that he was pinching the bridge of his nose whilst squeezing his eyes shut; he always did that when he was annoyed... and he did that quite some times during the seven months they had been dating. Seven months down the drain... somewhere deep inside, Sasha hoped she would have found those texts earlier so she wouldn't have wasted all that time on that scumbag.

'I'll just get to the point here, Tyler.' Sasha said. 'I want my clothes back, right now. Have you any idea how much I have paid for them?'

'You paid for them?!' her ex exclaimed in a mix of disbelief and anger. 'How damn stupid are you, Sasha?! Have you forgotten? I was the one who paid for them! Those boots were a birthday present, remember?!'

'Uh, yeah, but I paid for the coat and two of the dresses! That coat was two-hundred dollars, real leather, mind you! And those dresses, I'm pretty damn sure they cost almost that much! Look Tyler, I'm getting tired of this. I don't want to waste much more time on you. As soon as I get my clothes back, I will be done with you. I'm getting in the car right now, I will head to your place and you'd better stand outside with my stuff when I arrive! You got that?!'

A sigh could be heard after a few seconds of silence. 'Fine, whatever... Let's get this over with.'

Without even bothering to say goodbye, Sasha hung up and shoved the cell phone in the pocket of her black jeans. The headache she was anticipating had reared its ugly head and the sides of her head were pounding like crazy, but that didn't matter to her anymore. She was going to get her stuff back, that was all that mattered to her... and getting what she wants had been the best medicine against any headache, if you'd ask her. Just then, the intro song of her favorite reality show could be heard from the TV, but tonight it looked like she was going to skip the newest episode. Sasha grabbed the remote control, pressed a red corner and the screen of the TV instantly turned black, abruptly cutting off the intro song. She got up from the couch, went to her bedroom, opened the drawer of her nightstand and retrieved her car keys and apartment keys. Despite the headache and the anger, she could feel a hint of triumph pooling in her stomach. Victory was hers, she got what she wanted. But hey, that's how it always went in the end. And that was the best feeling in the world. She exited her bedroom, walked through the living room, headed into the hallway and put on her dark brown suede ankle boots and black leather jacket. For a little moment she considered putting on a wool bonnet and a pair of gloves, but she quickly figured out it wasn't going to take too long. Tyler would be waiting for her outside, she would snatch her stuff out of his hands, thank him for wasting seven months of her life, get back inside the warm car and head back home, end of story.

After she turned off all the lights in her living room, Sasha closed the door of her apartment behind her. It was empty in the hallway, but that didn't mean it was silent. Behind the closed doors she passed by, she could hear the voices of the other residents of the apartment complex, most of them sounding cheerful; Sasha assumed that some of the families who lived on this floor were already setting up the Christmas tree. And since most of the people who lived here earned enough money to pay the insanely high costs here, the kids were guaranteed to be surprised with some really expensive toys underneath the decorated tree on Christmas morning, oh yeah, that was for sure. Those kids were sure having an awesome childhood... Sasha sighed and shook her head when she entered the elevator. She got out on the last floor and exited the apartment complex. Outside, Sasha was immediately greeted with a cold gust of wind, which almost wanted to adjust the collar of her jacket. Come on now, it was just a few steps towards her car, a little bit of cold wasn't going to kill her. Sasha headed towards the parking lot, where all the cars were covered with a layer of fresh snow, including hers. Her footsteps created crunching noises whenever one of her feet touched the snow. As soon as she reached her car, Sasha leaned over and wiped the snow from her windshield with her arm; she planned to wipe the rest off with the windscreen wipers. She put the keys in the lock, twisted it and got in after she opened the door. The engine started without any problems and off she went.

Driving through the city, Sasha didn't have any eye for the Christmas decorations that were already displayed in the windows of the shops. She always thought it was a stupid idea to put up those decorations while the holiday hadn't even arrived yet, she had never seen the point in it. However, it was quite a shame that it looked like she didn't have a boyfriend anymore to go shopping for presents with. Maybe she could ask some friends to tag along with her... but then again, perhaps she wouldn't actually mind it if she had to go shop alone. The more presents for her alone, the merrier. Thinking of that made a chuckle escape past Sasha's lips. She could buy whatever she wanted, she had money. And she didn't have to be worried about being alone for too long; as soon as she would find a guy who earned a good buck, she would be okay.

Tyler lived in a city that was a bit more than ten miles away from where she lived, if she would hurry up, this could all be over soon. But despite that thought, Sasha planned on slowing down a bit as soon as she was out of the busy city. A coat, pair of shoes and three dresses were not worth a car crash on a slippery road, she thought. No, she wanted to live a couple years longer, thank you very much. She followed the stream of traffic that was heading out of the city and it took five minutes to leave the buildings, busy roads and obnoxious Christmas decorations behind her, soon enough replacing the road in front of her with a highway. Even on the highway, there were lights wherever she looked. For a couple more minutes, Sasha had to look at the red lights on the backs of all the other cars that passed her by. It surprised her that it wasn't actually that crowded; she figured out that most people decided to stay inside while it was still snowing. Well, that was fine for them. While those people were at home hiding early Christmas presents from their family members and trying to stay awake while watching TV on the couch, Sasha Banks was getting back what belonged to her. The windscreen wipers rhythmically moved left and right every few seconds, the squeaky noise it produced while doing so occasionally interrupting the song that was on the radio. Sasha soon noticed that was getting close to the exit she had to take. She turned on the blinker and turned right, leaving the highway.

After driving for twenty more meters, Sasha had to turn left, where a huge forest was awaiting her... and honestly, that had to be the part that was creeping her out the most.

During the time she had been dating Tyler, she had to drive through those woods in order to get to the city where he lived. She never had a problem with that, since most of the time it was before dark that she drove through the woods, thus there was no real reason to be bothered by it. In fact, it could be even soothing sometimes, especially during the summer. If it was too warm, Sasha would open the window and almost immediately she could hear the birds that lived in these woods for who knows how long singing their songs. One time, she even saw a deer with full-grown antlers crossing the road, which was quite a sight. But there was absolutely nothing calming about driving through the woods on this cold night. Not a single lamppost could be seen on the road in front of her, the headlights of her car were the only sources of light she had. The snowflakes appeared out of the darkness, hitting her windshield before slowly sliding away. The branches of the trees on the sides of the roads were full of green leafs during the spring and summer, but now that all of those leafs had fallen off during the autumn and were covered in snow, they somehow reminded Sasha of the hands of skeletons... reaching out for her to pull her out of her car as soon as she would stop and drag her into the woods to tear her into bloody pieces like a helpless insect. That thought alone made goose bumps appear all over Sasha's arms, despite the fact that the heat in the car had been turned on from the moment she had left the apartment complex.

'Jesus Sasha, what's wrong with you?' she mumbled to herself. 'They can't harm you, nobody can harm you. Not anymore. Those are just some stupid branches, don't be dumb!'

Talking to herself seemed to work, her body was relaxing and her mind was more at ease. It was just her imagination going wild for a second, that's all. She was a grown woman, she shouldn't think like that. Like branches could actually come to life... how ridiculous. She glanced at herself in the back mirror and slowly breathed out through her nose, letting out the last bit of unease she had unnecessarily brought upon herself.

'Come on now... what's the worst thing that could hap-'

An ear-deafening bang on her left made her world look like it was violently shaking. Sasha could feel the car leaning over to its left, as if it had lost its balance. 'What the hell?!' she exclaimed at the same moment her heart traveled up to her throat. A loud screech followed, dragging the car to the left side of the road. There was absolutely no time to panic. Sasha rotated the steering wheel to the right as fast as she could, hoping for the love of God that there was no vehicle on that side. For a split second, she even expected to crash into one, but when her eyes moved from her hands on the steering wheel to the road, there was thankfully no other vehicle that was about to smash into her. Sasha steered her car back into the direction of the right side of the road, all while the hellish screeching continued. The wheels on the right touched the ground next to the asphalt. Rumbling snow and snapping branches joined the screeching, creating an orchestra of surprise and panic. Sasha knew that she could risk a lot of pain if she would recklessly stomp on the brakes in a fit of adrenaline. Even though her throat was dry and her heart was beating like a jackhammer, she gently pushed the brakes with her foot until the car finally stood still on the side of the road.

Complete silence reigned inside the car, that was, if Sasha's trembling breathing didn't count as a sound. Staring at her hands, she finally saw how much they had been trembling. 'Oh God...' she whispered. Then something else went through her mind; what the hell happened? Sasha briefly gulped in an attempt to make throat feel less dry, but it didn't help too much. Her trembling left hand managed the open the door. Even though her legs felt heavy, she managed to step out and slightly kneel down to check.

Sasha's eyes slightly widened in disbelief.

'Oh no... no no no no no no...' she whimpered.

The front left tire didn't have one bit of air left in it, turning it into an useless heap of rubber.


	2. Where There's Light, There's Help

**Chapter 2**

 **Where There's Light, There's Help**

Still staring at the shredded tire, Sasha still couldn't believe that this had happened to her just a couple of seconds ago. This wasn't right, this wasn't supposed to happen. This was so wrong. She was supposed to make it through these woods without any single problems, leaving behind that dumb thought of those branches coming to life and pulling her out of the car , head to Tyler's place and go back home to continue her life and never think about that cheating scumbag again. And out of all moments in life, out of all nights, out of all bad timings... one of the tires of her car had to explode on the road in the middle of the dark, snowy, ice cold woods, where there was a huge possibility that nobody lived there to offer some help, miles away from civilization. Alarmed by a creaking noise in front of her, Sasha looked up. Her breath formed small clouds in the freezing cold air. A gust of wind caused the branches to creak and drop hunks of snow, which fell to the thick layer of fresh snow on the ground without a sound. She could've crashed against those trees if she had panicked, she realized in a flash; the shiver that ran up her spine was so heavy, it was painful.

Sasha took a breath and slowly breathed out; she immediately heard how much her breath was trembling.

'Come on Sasha, calm down...' she whispered. 'You ain't gonna get anywhere if you're going to freak out. You're going to be okay, you will get out of here. You will lie in your bed by the end of the night all cozy and warm, got it?'

She closed her eyes and concentrated on her breathing, trying her best to relax and make the trembling stop. That's right, everything was going to be fine. There was no way in hell that she was going to spend the rest of the night sleeping in the back of her car in the middle of nowhere, no, not her. Not Sasha Banks. Help would arrive as soon as possible, that stupid tire would be replaced and she was free to drive off to Tyler to finally get her stuff back. Or she could always hitchhike. But then again, maybe not... you never know who you're accepting a ride from these days. Not to mention, someone must be willing enough to drive through these damn woods on a snowy night. But that didn't matter, though; one way or another, she was going to be back home in the end. Yes, this was sure to happen, it just had to be. Thinking like that was enough to put Sasha's body and mind as well to ease in a matter of less than half a minute. She opened her eyes and stared at her hands; she was glad to see that they had stopped trembling.

However, that didn't mean that they were starting to feel cold. Sasha clenched her fists and shoved them into the pocket of her jeans. And then, without any warning, a warm wave of relief washed over her when the knuckles of her right hand brushed over something hard. Her cell phone! Sasha curled her mouth into a smile and chuckled. Oh thank God, she brought her cell phone with her! She never thought she would be so damn happy about that. From this moment on, everything was going to be smooth; just one call to the Breakdown Service and all of this would be forgotten in less than two days. Sasha retrieved the cell phone from her pocket and traced a zigzag line over the screen with her finger, unlocking it.

The relief she had felt seconds earlier almost instantly faded when she saw something that anyone in her situation feared to see. The four bars in the top right corner of the screen were absent, they were replaced with a little grey cross. No signal. The corners of Sasha's mouth turned into a flat line. 'No no no, come on, you stupid thing...' she said with a soft voice. She had to be able to make a phone call, it just had to be! Sasha had to try her absolute best to not get the returning panic get the better of her when she dialed the number of the Breakdown Service. She pressed her cell phone against her ear, hoping from the bottom of her heart that at that same moment she got at least one bar of signal... but that hope was brutally chucked out of the window when the emotionless voice of a woman informed her that it was not possible to make a phone call at this moment because she was out of range. But before the woman could tell her to go to an area where there's a signal, Sasha had already cancelled the call. Her stomach slowly sank to her feet, she tried to ignore that horrible feeling, but it was impossible. Oh God... this was bad.

This was really bad.

Of course, it was so obvious. If she happened to be closer to the highway, there may have been a chance she might've gotten a better signal. But she was miles away from the highway, she was stranded in the middle of the dark woods where a passing car would probably be a rare occurrence. The busy city and the highway felt like distant memories, it sounded strange, but it was so silent here that the silence almost seemed deafening. Was it because she was used to hear sounds around her all the time? But Sasha thought that there was no time to think about that; she wanted to get out of here, as soon as possible. Fine then, if there wasn't any signal, there had to be another way... at least, that's what Sasha hoped.

It was possibly the only other chance of getting back on the road. Sasha had no idea how to change a tire, but to hell with it, she was going to try until it was right. She walked to the trunk of her car and almost stopped dead in her tracks when another thought crossed her mind with the speed of a bullet. Was there even a spare tire in the trunk? Well, there was only one way to find out about that, right? Come on, there had to be a spare tire, it had to be. But then again, Sasha had forgotten when it had been the last time a tire of her car had been fixed, which made the stomach that had now sunk to her feet feel like it had turned into stone. Her hands had been warmed a bit in the pockets of her jeans, but instantly became cold again when she pressed the button on the trunk and opened the lid, hoping to prove that one thought wrong and that there was indeed a spare tire in there, along with a jack and a wrench.

There was nothing in the trunk, except for a couple empty plastic bags from some fashion stores she had recently visited and an old flashlight.

'Damn it!' Sasha exclaimed loudly in frustration and slammed the lid shut with a loud thump. Dear God, this couldn't be happening, she thought as her heart began to beat faster and faster by the second. The whole situation had gone from bad to worse; even though it was freezing cold, the realization made her entire body shiver all over. She was stuck. Stranded. All alone, in the middle of nowhere. There was nobody who could help her out. So helpless... there was almost nothing worse than helplessness. Sasha was lucky to have never felt that in ages, but now it felt like it was mercilessly crashing onto her. She slightly bit on her lower lip, trying her absolute best to shake it off. It was tough, but thankfully it got less worse after she slowly breathed in and out through her nose. She formed her hands in the shape of a little bowl and held them close to her mouth, breathing on them a couple of times; they regained a bit of warmth, but it didn't last for too long. Damn it, why didn't she put on gloves when she left? Sasha mentally slapped herself on the forehead for that. Staring at the empty, dark, endless road behind her, she realized that there was only one option left: waiting for another car to pass by and ask help from a total stranger.

If she would turn on the heat in the car, she would be fine. Hell, it was better than staying outside until her fingers froze off. Sasha got back inside the car, slightly turned the key to the right and put the heat on full force. She took a moment to check the time on her cell phone; it was half past eight, but outside it was so dark that it almost looked like it was already midnight. Now it was all a matter of patience... and a lot of luck. She fixated her sight on the back mirror, which showed nothing more but darkness and barely visible snowflakes behind her. Sasha sighed and fixed the collar of her jacket for some warmth to her neck, hoping that a passerby would arrive as soon as possible. Surely someone wouldn't hesitate to help out a pretty, young woman in need like her... despite the horrible sinking feeling she had felt earlier, Sasha couldn't help but chuckle about that thought.

But what if that knight in shining armor for the night turned out to be some creepy pervert who just happened to look for a tasty snack in the form of a helpless woman? Now that was a thought Sasha couldn't ignore. Asking a total stranger for help in the middle of the woods at night was a risky move, that was so true. Of course she had heard about those horror stories about being hurt in the most gruesome ways by some sick bastard before their (often mutilated) bodies were carelessly dumped in swamps, dumpsters or trunks of cars at the loyal junkyard. Each story was more gruesome than the other, they always managed to give Sasha major chills. So what would she do if this were indeed to happen? Simple; she was going to scratch that bastard's eyes out without any hesitation. Sasha had her fair share of fights with intoxicated women of her age at nightclubs in the past and she had won most of them, so she wasn't going to have any problem with fighting off a man who would try to hurt her. She looked away from the back mirror to fixate her sight on the glove compartment for a moment. While she opened it, she hoped dearly that there was a snack in there to make her wait a bit less boring and more tasty... and much to her rising frustration, fate was cruel enough to deny her a simple chocolate bar.

Seconds turned into minutes. Those minutes formed half an hour. Soon that half an hour turned into a whole hour. And during that hour, not one set of headlights had appeared, not from behind, nor in the front. Sasha, bored and immensely frustrated at the same time, finally realized that she wasn't going to be rescued anytime soon. She looked to the right, where the woods stared back at her with nothing more but snow and darkness. It took her half a minute to make up her mind. Fine then. If help wasn't coming towards her, she was going to get some damn help herself.

These woods were huge, there was no doubt that wildlife lived in this area. And where there was wildlife, there were hunters... at least, that's what Sasha assumed. Maybe there could be a chance that some lone hunter had thought it was a great idea to go hunt animals in the cold winter and stay in one of the few cabins that were located there in the woods. And there could be lumberjacks in the woods as well... Still staring at the freezing darkness, Sasha thought about what was the best thing to do. She was sure to get lost if she would mindlessly run into different directions; if she'd keep on walking in a straight line, there was little that could go wrong, right? She decided to take that shot. Sasha switched off the engine, got out of the car and walked to the trunk. She opened the lid, retrieved the flashlight and pressed on the button to check if that thing still had some power left; for once tonight, she was lucky. Seeing how strong the light the flashlight produced was made her feel somewhat safer. She aimed the light at the snow in front of her, took a deep breath and heard the snow crunch underneath her feet when she made her first step into the dark woods. The nearly desperate search for help had begun.

Further and further, Sasha made more distance between her and the car and headed deeper into the woods. Everywhere she shone the flashlight on, she saw untouched snow, on the branches, on the bushes, on the fallen tree trunks she passed, on the ground, everywhere. She thought that she could possible find some tracks of a rabbit, bird or maybe even a fox, but even if they did pass by, the rapidly falling snow would fill up those tracks in an instant. If she happened to be walking through the woods at daytime, the environment would've been so much less frightening, it would actually be a relaxing experience to have a long walk here in the daylight. But from the very beginning, the night always had the gift to make everything look scarier when it was time for the sky to turn dark. Sasha aimed the flashlight left to right, hoping to catch a glimpse of light or the silhouette from a person... but she was all on her own. It was completely silent in the snowy woods, that was if the snow that rhythmically crunched underneath her feet didn't count as sound. Sasha occasionally had to stop to blow some heat on her hands, they had become so cold at this point that the skin on her fingers had colored painfully red. When she glanced down for a second, she saw the snow sticking on her suede ankle boots. Hideous stains were sure to form after this night, she thought while she bit her lower lip; those boots had cost something around 150 dollars.

Deep howling behind her made her blood run cold, even colder than the wind.

Oh please God, let that be the wind, let that please be the wind that was playing tricks on her mind... Sasha wanted to look behind her to see if that was indeed the case, but at the same time, she was too scared to do so, afraid of locking eyes with a bloodthirsty wolf. Or even worse... and entire damn pack of wolves. Sasha knew that there was little chance she was going to encounter a bear, she knew that those animals went into hibernation around this time of the year... but did the same go for wolves as well?

'Keep walking, just keep walking, you will be fine Sasha, you will see a cabin or a person at any moment now...' she whispered to herself. The howling came from behind her, it would be too risky now to turn around and walk back to the car. Sasha began to walk faster, trying to somehow outrun the howling whilst mentally scolding herself for not staying in the car where she would be sheltered from those vicious predators. But walking faster didn't seem to work much, in fact, it wasn't working at all. The howling, or the wind, whatever it was, only grew louder and deeper. Sasha's mouth became once again dry while her heart traveled up her throat, beating like crazy. Was there the possibility she was going to survive this night? That thought made the panic kick in at full force, so violently that calming down was impossible, no matter how much she would tell herself to do so. Sasha ran as fast as she could, too scared to look behind her for one second and unknowingly going against her own plan; blinded by pure panic and paranoia, she foolishly began to run into two different directions, left and right, all in an attempt to escape from whatever was behind her. And then, after what felt like centuries of non-stop running to her, the howling grew softer and softer. She only stopped running when she absolutely sure that it was silent once more.

However, there was no time to catch a breath in relief when she realized her big mistake.

'Oh no... where... where am I?' Sasha whispered in horror. It was like every breath set her dry throat on fire while her eyes quickly darted from left to right. The trees around her looked exactly the same as the ones on the way back, there were no objects that could've acted as landmarks in sight... She was lost, absolutely lost. The panic began to swell up again, nearly cutting off her breath this time. Sasha blindly assumed that her next footstep was going to touch snow again... but perhaps it would've been a better idea to instead watch her step. Sasha's foot touched a way lower level of snow, causing her to lose her balance and fall flat on her back. Immediately after she let out a loud shriek of surprise, Sasha began to slide down, taking down huge hunks of snow with her in the process. She instantly realized she was sliding down a hill, and when she looked down, she quickly found out that it was going to be a long way down. Sasha desperately tried to grab onto something to stop sliding, but she only managed to grab handfuls of snow, making the coldness in her hand almost unbearable. But as sudden as her fall began, it was just as sudden she made it down to the bottom. Sasha's eyes grew wide as she gasped for air, her mind still processing the unwelcome surprise. Locks of wet hair were sticking against her face. Chunks of snow had found their way underneath her sweater and jeans. She felt that her hands were empty. Oh God, where was that flashlight?! Without that thing, she was doomed! But when Sasha looked to her right, she saw a faint light coming from underneath the snow. With her painfully cold hands, she wiped the snow away until the flashlight became visible, thankfully intact.

Here she was... all alone in the snowy woods at night, freezing cold, lost and scared to death... all because of some damn clothing.

'God...' Sasha groaned miserably while wiping her hair out of her face. Tears were burning in her eyes, but she refused to let them out. Not now, not ever. She absolutely hated crying.

And then, when she looked up, she could see it. It was very faint, but it was there, in the far distance. Light.

Sasha dropped her jaw in amazement. Her eyes weren't lying to her, it was light! Large enough to come from a cabin's window! She was going to make it through the night after all! Not breaking her sight from the light for one moment, Sasha managed to get back up on her feet and began to run into the direction of where she could see it. She ran as fast as she could, using the flashlight to illuminate the ground in front of her. The snow made her legs feel heavier, but that wouldn't stop her from heading right towards her rescue. The light grew brighter and bigger as she got closer, causing that delightful feeling of triumph in her stomach grow warmer and stronger, along with the relief. At one point, Sasha almost tripped over the snow-covered branch of a tree, but she managed to keep her balance and continue running. It was so close, she was going to sleep in her own bed tonight!

Her legs felt so heavier, she was out of breath, her hands were so cold that they now felt like burning... but she made it. The light was indeed coming from a window... but much to Sasha's amazement, it was not quite what she had expected.

No, the light wasn't coming from the window of a cabin; it was coming from the large windows on the first floor of a mansion. Standing in front of it, Sasha couldn't help but stare at it. It was huge, but without a doubt very old. The outside was entirely made out of wood, it hadn't been redone in years, perhaps dozens of years. Thick patches of moss could be seen growing underneath the snow on the navy blue roof tiles. Judging from the design of the mansion, Sasha was pretty sure that it was build somewhere in the Victorian era. The mansion may have looked like it was over a hundred years old, but there was light inside, which meant there had to be someone living in there!

Firmly believing that everything was finally going to be fine, Sasha walked up the very small flight of stairs that lead to the front door and knocked three times. 'Hello? Is anybody home?' she called out. 'I need some help! My car broke down on the road! Could you please-'

A loud click abruptly cut her off. Sasha watched the door slowly opening, followed by a long, rusty, creak, as if it hadn't been opened in years.

'Uh... hello?'

Whoever was standing on the other side of the door, didn't answer. One thing was for sure, though; Sasha wasn't planning on staying in the cold for another second while there was warm light inside that place. 'Please, let there be a telephone in there...' she mumbled to herself.

And without any further hesitation, Sasha entered the mansion.


	3. A Strange Welcome

**Chapter 3**

 **A Strange Welcome**

There were two things that Sasha immediately noticed when she set foot in the mysterious mansion. Whoever had opened the door for her wasn't standing in the hallway, nor was he or she hiding behind the door, as if that person had quickly ran away as soon as the door was unlocked. But that wouldn't make sense... if that person had indeed ran away for whatever reason, Sasha was sure she would've heard rapid footsteps. And even though the lighting in the hallway was quite dim, there was no way in denying that the interior looked a lot more well kept than the outside.

'H-Hello?' Sasha said with a hint of unease in her voice. 'Is somebody there? I need to use your telephone!'

Nobody in the dimly lit hallway replied. It would only take one step to turn around and two to leave through the door, Sasha figured. This didn't feel right, this entire place didn't feel right for some reason. Why would someone open the door to a stranger and immediately leave after that? Was the resident of the mansion expecting her to be foolish enough to walk deeper into the hallway, and if so... what would happen if she would do that? And what kind of person lived here? A location of a house could tell something about someone. What kind of person wished to live in an old mansion somewhere deep in the woods, many miles away from civilization and phone signal and be forced to travel for one, maybe two hours to get to a hospital or other place in case of an emergency? A loner, perhaps... or a deeply disturbed loner, for all that mattered. Someone had the guts to knock on the door at night and disturb the peace the owner was so fond of, maybe Sasha had ticked him off so much that she had to pay for that... Sasha shook her head, forcing herself to stop thinking like that. This wasn't the right time for thoughts like these, it almost sounded like the script of a cheesy horror movie. She had to think clear; if paranoia would get to her head like it did back in the woods, things were only going to get worse, she knew that. Besides, she could always fight back if necessary. Oh yes, it was definitely going to get ugly for someone, and it would not be her.

Just then, the small lamps with light-yellow, umbrella-shaped lampshades began to illuminate the hallway with a brighter light. Because of this, Sasha got a much better look at the interior. There was one door a few feet away from her on her right. The wallpaper was dark red, had a print of small, light pink flowers on it and was decorated with a few old paintings of landscapes, depicting a lush green field where sheep were free to dwell, a ship battling against the wild waves of an ocean in the middle of a storm, trees that looked similar to the ones near the road Sasha drove by several times in the spring, summer and autumn, a calm river in the woods that seemed to sparkle in the delicate sunlight and a bouquet of flowers on a wooden windowsill, placed in front of an open window that showed a field of sunflowers; not one bit of dust could be found on the wooden frames, as if the hallway had been cleaned recently. The deep brown laminate and the dark navy blue carpet that lead her deeper into the hallway didn't show one speck of dust either. Whoever lived here must be fond of cleanliness, Sasha figured.

The silence was then suddenly interrupted by a strange noise in the distance. Sasha perked her ears, trying her best to figure it out what it was. It faintly sounded like rattling gears, followed with a click, it kind of reminded her of an old machine that was in need of some oiling. A few seconds later, the strange sound grew louder. Yes, it was rattling, she was sure of it. Rattle rattle, click, rattle rattle click it went, over and over again. Sasha quickly realized that the sound was heading straight into her direction; at the same time, she saw a humanoid shape at the end of the hallway, where the light was much dimmer. Footsteps could soon be heard, almost overlapped by those noises. The closer it got to her, the louder the rattling and clicks became. Sasha's fingers searched for the doorknob behind her, ready to run like a bat out of hell as soon as the mystery person would try to attack her. Then, when the person stepped into the brighter light, she could finally see who it was... and for some reason, it made her heart cringe in relief. It was a young woman from around her age, with long red hair. She was wearing a black dress with sleeves that reached just a bit below her elbows, a stainless white apron, a white, ruffled cap, white sock and black shoes. She was a maid... but why was she producing that rattling? But when Sasha looked at the maid's arm, she quickly discovered the possible cause; her lower arms were entirely made from brown iron, complete with ball-jointed wrists and articulated fingers. The maid suddenly stopped walking, standing a few feet away from Sasha and stared at her. Sasha could see her narrowing her eyes, as if she couldn't see her that well despite the lighting. Then the maid widened her eyes in surprise, rapidly blinking them.

'Well, I'll be!' she exclaimed with a clear Irish accent. 'My ears are still workin' just fine! A guest! We have a guest!'

The maid walked towards Sasha, broadly smiling from ear to ear. Now being able to clearly see her face from up close, more of her strange, mechanical features were shown. Her neck was entirely made from brown iron and thick wires. One small, blue, electric spark managed to escape from one of the wires. Her right eye socket showed two rusty, connected gears, slowly rotating. A robot... Sasha could hardly believe her eyes, but it was right there, in front her. A robotic maid! No way... those gears in the eye socket and iron arms had to be part of a costume! But it looked like the maid found it just as hard to believe her eye. She couldn't keep her green left eye off of Sasha, which twinkled with pure enthusiasm, refusing to stop smiling for one second.

'My goodness! I can hardly believe it myself! Good thin' I have cleaned the place this mornin'!' the maid said excitedly. Before Sasha could respond, she took a hold of her hand and shook it; metallic rambling could be heard when she moved her hand up and down. 'Welcome, welcome! It's so great to finally have a guest visitin'!' Then the maid let go of her hand and her smile suddenly had something sheepish. 'I'm... I'm terribly about that.' she chuckled. 'It's just that... we never had a guest before. It's so excitin'! My name is Becky, by the way. I'm the maid.'

'Yeah, I've noticed that already...' Sasha mumbled. 'Look, nice job on the outfit and those robotic parts and all, but... you do realize Halloween has been two months ago, right?'

Becky burst into a hearty laughter, as if she had just heard the best joke of all times. 'A guest with a good sense of humor!' she laughed. 'What a lucky night this is! Say, ya must've come a long way, it's awfully cold tonight... And I know exactly what to do to warm ya up! A fresh cup of tea and a big slice of fresh cake! Aye, that will fix ya up in no time!'

'Sorry, I don't have time for that. I need to use-' But before Sasha could protest any further, Becky gently grabbed her by the arm and gently dragged her further into the hallway.

'No no, I insist! A good maid has to give a guest tea and cake upon arrival!' Becky said. 'It's my duty to- eek!' Becky was so caught up in her own energetic rambling that she tripped over her own feet, landing on the carpet face-first. But as if she hadn't felt any pain (which was actually no surprise), she looked up at Sasha, smiled sheepishly and got up on her feet. 'Woops... sorry about that, lass.' the maid said. 'As ya can see... I can be a tad clumsy sometimes. My inner gears hadn't had a proper oilin' in years. But that never stopped me from doin' my work! Come on, it's time for our very first guest to have some tea!'

There was no doubt that despite those rusty gears there was still some strength in Becky's arms left, judging by the fact that she managed to effortlessly lead Sasha, who was trying to pull her arm away from her, deeper into the hallway, all whilst rambling on about how she was totally going to love the fresh chocolate cake she had baked this morning. All that Sasha wanted at the moment was to tell her that she didn't care about the cake and more about the telephone; the sooner the Breakdown Service would arrive with a tow truck, the better. Hell, she already could feel a headache creeping up thanks to the seemingly endless waterfall of words coming from the maid. But somewhere deep inside, Sasha hoped that she was only kidding about those inner gears and that Becky would soon reveal that she was just kidding. Because come on, robots like her only existed in sci-fi books and movies... right?

The two reached the end of the hallway, which allowed Sasha to have a clear look at the main hall, of which the walls had the exact same wallpaper like the walls in the hallway. Right in front of her, she saw a large staircase that lead to the second floor of the mansion. A huge golden chandelier was hanging from the ceiling; out of nowhere, the wicks of the candles lit up in the blink of an eye, slowly growing bigger and illuminating the main hall. Becky lead Sasha to a door on the far left corner, not giving her the chance to have a better look. The robot maid opened the door and revealed the dining room on the other side. The walls here were different, they were covered with a wallpaper with dark blue and light blue vertical stripes. A long, oaken dinner table was placed in the middle of the room with a purple vase containing red roses on top of it. There were eight chairs, each one of them had red velvet cushions placed on the seats. The large, arched windows showed the snowy woods outside. An unlit fireplace could be seen on the right side of the dinner table. Sasha assumed that the door on the left lead to the kitchen, where a fresh chocolate pie was waiting to be sliced in pieces.

'Here we go!' Becky said as she let the magenta-haired guest sit down on a chair at the head of the table. 'Now ya just wait right here, I'll be back in a second!' And off she went through the door on the left; it didn't last long before Sasha could hear dishes loudly shattering into pieces on the kitchen floor, followed by a muffled 'Oh dear...' spoken by Becky. Sasha rolled her eyes and shook her head. Seriously, how clumsy was that maid? Well, hopefully she wasn't going to stick around with her for too long. The quicker that tow truck would arrive, the sooner she was going to become some distant memory. About a minute later, Becky came back to the dining room, holding a silver tray with a teapot, a cup of tea, a small bottle of milk, a bowl with sugar and a plate with a big slice of chocolate cake.

'Bon appetite! Please, make yerself at home!' the maid said as she put the content of the tray in front of Sasha one by one. Just then, she noticed her staring at her wet clothes. 'Oh my, did ya make a tumble in the snow, lass? Ya must be freezin'! Hold on, I think there are still some spare clothes upstairs, I'll fetch them for ya!'

And just before Sasha could finally ask her if there was a telephone in this damn place, Becky had already left the dining room and was quickly heading up the stairs, much to her growing annoyance. 'Dolores!' she could hear the maid call out. 'Ya will never guess! We have a visitor!' Sasha couldn't help but frown in curiosity. Dolores? Who could that possibly be? Well, possibly the owner of this mansion, she guessed. Hopefully she could tell her if there was a telephone here... and hopefully she was less talkative, not to mention less annoying, than Becky. Sasha let out a sigh and stared at her cup of tea. Carefully putting her cold hands around the warm porcelain made her feel a little bit warmer, but it wasn't much. Maybe if she would take a sip of it, it would warm her up more. But then again... what could Becky have done to it while she was in the kitchen. What if she had slipped something in it? Sasha lifted the cup to her nose and briefly sniffed on it. There was nothing wrong with the smell, it smelled like plain tea, but that didn't mean it was entirely safe to drink it. If there was one valuable lesson in life, it had to be not accepting drinks (or food for that matter) from a stranger, no matter how friendly and hospitable he acted. It was so tempting to drink from that tea, but Sasha decided not to do it. She had known Becky for less than ten minutes, she had no idea whether she really could be trusted. Trusting someone nowadays was so hard for her, especially after her recent break-up.

The door behind her slowly opened with a soft creak, causing Sasha to snap out of her thoughts and look behind her.

Just when she thought it couldn't get any stranger than the robot maid...

A little girl who couldn't possibly be older than nine years old stared back at her from behind the door, her big, brown eyes blinking with surprise when she laid eyes upon her. Her skin was pale, as if she hadn't been outside in the sun for months. She was wearing a light pink dress with puffed sleeves, light grey ruffled lace on the hems on the skirt, sleeves and collar, white stockings and black strap shoes; the clothes that only a child from the Victorian era would wear. What had to be strangest feature about the girl had to be her hair. Her short hair was as white as the snow outside. Two dark grey ribbons were neatly tied in her hair on both sides of her hair, keeping the strands out of her face. Sasha could barely believe her eyes. There wasn't one bit of color in her hair, not in one single strand... how was this possible?

The little girl, who looked just as surprised as Sasha was, managed to work up the courage and smile shyly at her. 'Oh... hello...' she said with a soft voice. 'You must be the guest... Becky has told me about you. I... I didn't expect one at this hour, especially one with... uh... Forgive me if I offend you, but your hair color... I have never seen something like that before.'

She was the one to speak about strange hair colors, Sasha thought, but she decided to keep her mouth shut about it.

'Oh, that's right! I have forgotten to introduce myself to you!' The white-haired girl softly chuckled, grabbed the tips of her skirt and slightly bent her knees. 'My name is Dolores. What is your name?'

'Um... my name is Sasha.'

'Ah, Sasha...' Dolores sat down on the chair on Sasha's right; her feet barely touched the ground once she sat down. The little girl gave her guest a friendly smile. 'Welcome in my home! My goodness, it's been the first time there has been a visitor here. I hope Becky has treated you well!'

'Uh, yeah, she did.' However, Sasha didn't feel like sticking around for much longer, now that she was starting to grow more uncomfortable about this damn mansion by the second. 'But look, Dolores... Do you have a telephone around here? I need to call somebody, my car has broken down on the road.'

'A telephone, you say...?' Dolores stared at the tabletop and slightly frowned, as if she was thinking as hard as she could. 'Um... I'm sorry, I can't remember well how a telephone looks like...' she said while shaking her head. 'It's been a long time since I have seen one, you know...'

Wait, what was going on here? That kid had no idea how a freaking telephone looks like? Every child of her age should know how it looked like! The uncomfortable feeling that was slowly growing now seemed to grow faster by tenfold. This whole situation was getting creepier and creepier, it nearly gave her chills, but she calmed herself down a bit. Okay, this girl was just a kid... and kids from her age played pranks all the time. She had to be horsing around with her, there was no other logical explanation.

'Are your parents home?' Sasha asked, figuring out that she was only going to get somewhere by speaking to an adult. Her parents had to be here, it just had to be. They had to be sleeping upstairs while their daughter was up and awake, creeping the living hell out of a lost stranger in need.

But no answer came over Dolores' lips for a few seconds.

'No. It has just been me and my friends for a long time. A very long time.' she said after a brief moment of silence.

So Becky wasn't the only resident in this mansion... No parents. There were no parents here. Just this strange little girl with who she claimed were her friends. This couldn't be, this was too strange, too unreal... Goosebumps appeared all over Sasha's body.

'I see your clothes are wet...' Dolores suddenly said. 'Aren't you cold, Sasha? Wait, I know exactly what to do! And I'll introduce you at a friend of mine at the same time!' But before Sasha could answer that Becky was already getting some dry clothes for her, Dolores had already began to call out her friend. 'Kane! Could you light up the fireplace in the dining room, please?'

Without any warning, exactly one second after she spoke those words, the door of the dining room opened with a big bang and allowed a wave of heat to enter. When she turned around, Sasha saw much to her horror a huge ball of fire, so bright that it almost blinded her. She let out a loud shriek and covered her head with her arms, expecting the burning orb to strike her as it flew over her. It landed right in the fireplace, instantly turning into a flame that bathed the entire dining room in a pleasant warmth. Sasha looked up and stared at Dolores with wide eyes, then at the fireplace, then back at her.

Enough was enough.

'Alright, that's it.' Sasha said while shaking her head and getting up. 'I'm leaving! I've had it with this place!'

'Wait, what?' Dolores asked in shock. 'B-But why? You have just arrived! Why are you lea-'

'I ain't gonna stay in this messed up mansion for one more second!' Sasha shouted. She opened the door and exited the dining room, ignoring Becky who was just coming down the stairs with a pile of dry clothes in her arms and asking her where she was going. 'I'm out of here! You hear me?! I'm so done with this freakishness!' And Sasha was damn serious about what she said. She wanted to leave right now, she had enough of robotic maids with malfunctioning systems, little weird girls with white hair and flaming orbs that came out of nowhere. No, she wasn't going to stay here, telephone or not. She didn't care if she had to walk back to the road in the freezing cold or had to sleep in the back of her car for the rest of the night, she didn't care about all of that, but there was no way in hell that she staying here any longer! Sasha headed into the hallway, not looking behind her shoulder for once, wishing for nothing else but open the door and leave this damn place behind her.

Sasha was halfway through the hallway when a choreography of horror unfolded itself in the main hall.

An immense bang made the entire mansion tremble with an immense amount of force, causing Sasha to stop dead in her tracks. She heard Becky let out a shriek, she most likely lost her balance due to the impact. Her heart traveled all the way up to her throat and began to pound like there was no tomorrow. Her mind was screaming at her to get the hell out, but it felt like her limbs were paralyzed. Oh God, she was paralyzed with fear, Sasha realized. Loud rumbling followed and immediately after that, another bang, much louder than the previous one, making the mansion tremble once more. She didn't want to look behind her, but she had to. With her throat as dry as a desert, Sasha forced herself to glance over her shoulder.

All of her blood drained away from her face in an instant.

Oh dear God in Heaven.

A creature who could only manifest herself in the worst nightmares had burst through the wall near the stairs. It was a towering doll, with no clothes, long blonde hair, thin red lips and large, emotionless eyes... and she was looking right at Sasha. Even though her blue eyes didn't show any direct emotions, Sasha could feel that they were burning with hate. Bloodlust. The doll didn't hesitate for one second and charged at Sasha with immense speed. Sasha's legs felt like they were made of concrete, she wanted to scream so badly, but only faint squeaks managed to escape from her throat. The monster doll was so immensely large that she was forced to crawl through the hallway, not breaking her focus from Sasha for one second. As soon as that thing would reach her, it would kill her in the most vicious, bloody, horrifying way. And that's when Sasha regained enough strength in her legs to run like hell. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she ran to the door as fast as she could. Oh God, this wasn't happening, she had to be trapped in a nightmare! But she was fully awake, she knew that, which only fueled the horror more. The door was just one meter away, her escape was just within her reach! But just before her fingertips could touch the doorknob, a large, cold, porcelain hand took a hold of her and snatched her away from the door. Sasha was forced to look at the largest set of doll eyes, piercing into her soul like knifes.

This was it, she realized. This is how she was going to die... at the hands of a giant doll in this godforsaken nightmare of a mansion. Nothing more but pure fear coursed through her body, so much fear, paralyzing her all over... including her mind... her head was feeling so light... As she lost her consciousness, Sasha heard Dolores shouting something at the porcelain behemoth before everything went dark.

'Stop it, Charlotte!'


	4. Sorry, You're Not Dreaming

**Chapter 4**

 **Sorry, You're Not Dreaming**

She hadn't felt much of it the entire time, but now she could clearly feel it; the pain in her head was getting heavier, to the point where it forced her to open her eyes. But Sasha didn't want to, she wanted to sleep a little longer. That headache must be because she had gone to the club in the center of the city last night, yes, that had to be it... but why couldn't she remember what she had been drinking? Sasha let out a groan and turned from her back to her side. She had to be lying in her bed in the apartment she lived in, because she felt so relaxed while she was asleep. Once she would open her eyes, Sasha would go to the kitchen and make herself some good coffee; the best cure for a hangover after a night of clubbing, if you had to ask her. She decided to ignore the headache and tried to remember what exactly she had been drinking last night. Margaritas? No, that was not it. Wine? It wasn't that either. Bacardi-Cola? She was pretty sure the last time she drank that was three weeks before she broke up with her lousy ex. Sasha's mind couldn't bring back one memory that could be related to that, however, for some reason, a blurry mental image appeared. It was unclear at first, but it quickly became clear.

It was a cup of tea... but why?

Parts of Sasha's memory came back in a flash. She was offered tea, what else was offered to her? Cake. Chocolate cake. And the person who offered it to her had... robotic arms... Oh Jesus. She wasn't lying in her own bed, was she?

Sasha slowly opened her eyes, but was forced to close them again for a second when the headache turned into a sharp sting. She tried opening her eyes again, which went less painful this time. Sasha saw a wall that was without a doubt not a wall from her bedroom. The walls in her bedroom were white; this wallpaper had a dark shade of purple. The only source of light in this bedroom was coming from the old lamp on the nightstand next to the bed. A big closet and a simple chair in the far right corner were the only other pieces of furniture she could see.

'What...?' Sasha murmured.

Just then, the missing pieces of her memory came back as well... and a hint of panic immediately emerged from deep within Sasha's abdomen. That malfunctioning robot maid... the cup of tea and the chocolate cake... that strange little girl with the white hair... the giant doll that chased her down the hallway... none of them were fragments of a strange dream. The last bit of sleepiness faded like snow exposed in warm sunlight. She never made it home; she was still in that mansion! Sasha could feel her hands trembling and clenched them into fists in an attempt to control the trembling. Don't freak out, for the love of God, don't freak out. Sasha repeated those words over and over again in her head. She glanced at the chair and noticed that there was something strewn over the seat. Could it be... clothes? The clothes Becky went to fetch for her, or...? When Sasha looked down, the latter was confirmed; it were her own clothes that were on that chair. Someone had dressed her in a white nightgown with long sleeves... it was almost like she had traveled back in time to the Victorian era. This thought only fueled the panic Sasha tried to control; someone, a complete stranger, had actually taken off her clothes and dressed her up in this nightgown. She couldn't help but bite her lip in embarrassment and anger. Just then, she felt a pair of eyes staring at her. Looking to her right, that feeling was proven right. It was Becky. She was standing next to the big bed she was lying in, holding some clothing in her arms. The maid sighed in relief when Sasha looked at her.

'Thank goodness, ye're awake, lass!' she said. 'I honestly thought ya were done for when that blasted porcelain devil got ya in her sight. Yer head and body might be achin', but don't worry, she didn't hurt ya too bad. Ye're lucky to be alive, I'm sure things would've been a lot worse if Dolores hadn't drawn her attention.' Three clicks could be heard when Becky turned her head. 'Oi, Daniel!' she called out. 'That lass Charlotte had attacked just woke up!'

Daniel? Now who the hell was Daniel? Sasha dearly hoped it was someone from the Breakdown Service... or the driver from the ambulance that was called for her. Hopefully Dolores had been lying about not having a phone and she decided to call an ambulance after Sasha passed out. It was a bit of an unrealistic thought, but it made Sasha feel more at ease. Footsteps could be heard in the hallway outside and Sasha expected a paramedic to enter the room at any moment, lift her into his arms and carry her downstairs, where an ambulance was waiting for outside in the snow and drive her back to the safe, normal civilization where she belonged.

It was none of the two possibilities who stepped into the bedroom.

Becky must've slipped something in her tea that already made her see things by sniffing at it. This was impossible, this wasn't real... The creature, who a shocked Sasha assumed was Daniel, almost looked like a normal human being when it came to the upper part of his body. He had short sandy blonde hair, a neatly trimmed beard and looked like he was in his mid-thirties. He was wearing a dark blue waistcoat, black bowtie and white shirt with long sleeves. No, he didn't have the lower legs of a human being like Sasha expected; he had the legs of a goat, with fur that matched his hair color and clean hooves. A pair of thick, curled horns grew out the sides of his skull. Upon closer inspection, his ears were sharply pointed. A faun... Jesus Christ, it was a faun!

It all became way too much for Sasha. Without saying a word, she turned her back at him and hit under the sheets of the bed. She clenched her eyes tightly shut while she miraculously managed to prevent herself from hyperventilating. 'This is all a dream, it's not real!' she whispered to herself. 'This can't be real, this has to be a dream. Fauns don't exist, monster dolls don't exist, none of this exists! This is all a dream, Sasha! A freaking dream...!' Yes, that had to be it, there was no other way. She was going to wake up for real at any moment to find herself on the driver's seat of her car, she had just fallen asleep while waiting for help and had a dream that felt too damn realistic, that's right, she was going to wake up any second now... Sasha didn't hear the footsteps (or rather, hoovesteps?) coming closer to her due to her own hysterical whispering. A hand touched her shoulder through the sheets, causing her to let out a gasp. The edge of the mattress dented. A friendly chuckle could be heard.

'I'm terribly sorry to tell you this, but... you are not dreaming, miss.' Daniel spoke. 'Please, don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you. We are your friends. Come, you can stop hiding under those sheets now.'

If that goat-thing dared to harm her, she wasn't afraid to grab him by his horns and slam him against a wall. Sasha carefully lowered the sheets and saw Daniel sitting on the edge of the bed. Now that she got a closer look at him, she saw that the pupils of his eyes were shaped horizontally... just like a goat's.

The faun smiled reassuringly at her. 'I understand that this situation is frightening you immensely right now.' he said. 'But that's alright, I understand. I too would find it hard to believe what I'm seeing here if I were an outsider. You don't have to be scared, though. You're in good hands now. My name is Daniel, I'm the butler in this mansion. Perhaps you shall feel less frightened if I'd explain to you what this place actually is. How about that?'

Sasha nodded; because after all, a good, rational explanation about what the hell was going on here sure would be nice. 'Y-Yeah, sure...'

'Very well then.' Daniel gestured to Becky and the bedroom. 'You are in a place that is entirely created with nothing more but magic.' he spoke calmly. 'Everyone who lives here is born from the imagination of Dolores. Her imagination is beyond powerful, I tell you. It's so strong that she can create whole beings made from flesh and blood, complete with hopes, thoughts, dreams and emotions, just by imagining them hard enough. But it's not only the residents of this mansion she has single-handedly created with her imaginative nature: every room, every piece of furniture, every painting you will find here, is a product from her imagination as well.'

She had thought the explanation would put her more at ease... but instead, she became even more confused and frightened. This couldn't be real, there was no such thing as magic, you can't bring people and interiors of houses into reality by just imagining them, that could only exist in dreams, books and movies. But Sasha knew that she was wide awake. My God, this was too crazy for words...

'I... I just... please... I want to... I just want to go home.' Sasha groaned.

'I completely understand that, miss.' Daniel replied. 'And believe me, you are free to go, but... I'm afraid you can't leave.'

'What? Why?'

'Well, you see... during the time you were unconscious, a violent snowstorm occurred outside. I have seen many snowstorms during the time I lived here, but this one had the be one of the worst I've ever witnessed. The snow has completely blocked the front door, I would love to melt it away for you, but... the magic only works inside the house. Outside, it's completely useless. It's impossible to open the door, you would have to wait until the morning. I'm terribly sorry, miss.'

Out of all things, Jesus Christ, she couldn't believe it... it was like this night had drained all the luck out of her. Sasha sat up, hunched forward and covered her face with her hands. 'Oh no...' she groaned miserably.

'Don't be sad, miss.' Daniel said, putting his hand on her knee. 'You can explore the mansion if you want, there are many wonderful locations here to visit and relax. I know this is all new and strange to you, but... there is beauty here. You may not see it at this moment, but hopefully you will soon enough. Me and Becky shall leave you alone now. Take some time to rest, dress up and let it all sink into you. Remember, there will always be fresh tea in the kitchen. And before we leave... may I ask what your name is, miss?'

'It's... It's Sasha.'

'Ah, Sasha... pleased to meet you, Sasha.' Daniel got up from the bed and beckoned to Becky. 'Come Becky, let's give our guest the privacy she needs.' he said. The robot maid nodded, quickly put the neatly folded clothing on the bed and followed him to the door.

'Wait!' Sasha said, suddenly realizing something very important. 'That... that thing that attacked me in the hallway, that giant doll... where is it?'

Standing in the doorway, Daniel didn't say anything for a brief moment, as if he was thinking about the right thing to say. Not even Becky, who was so talkative a few hours ago, spoke a word. Then the faun finally opened his mouth to speak. 'We...' Sasha immediately noticed that there was doubt lingering in his voice. 'We don't know. She disappeared. I'm sorry.' And then they left, closing the door behind them with a soft click.

Sasha let out a heavy sigh, lied down and stared at the ceiling, her brain trying its best to wrap around this situation that was beyond insane. She tried to get everything straight, despite the craziness. She was snowbound in a magical mansion, inhabited by magical creatures who were born from the imagination of a little girl with white hair and she had to spend the night here until the sun was warm enough to melt the snow away; all of these were the perfect elements for some Alice In Wonderland-esque story, and she happened to be the unwilling main character in it. She closed her eyes and did exactly what Daniel had told her. She let it all sink in. At the same time, she waited for the worst part of the headache to fade away. What was the best thing to do during the hours she was forced to spend here? Look for another way to escape, of course. There had to be some way to leave this place, it just had to be. And she wasn't going to find one if she was going to lie in bed all the time. It lasted fifteen minutes before the headache was more bearable. Sasha got out and glanced at the pieces of clothing Becky had left for her. It was a purple corset, black bolero with matching lace on the borders and a pair of black pants with two rows of frilled lace on the hems of the legs. Sasha had to admit, the clothes looked really nice and... really expensive.

The kind of clothes those girls back in high school could afford.

That harrowing thought had gone through her head with the speed of light, it immediately gave her the chills. Sasha shook it off, mentally scolding herself for allowing to think a thought she had sworn to ignore for years.

After she had dressed herself up, she put on her boots and left the bedroom, entering the corridor. Looking around, she saw that it were the very same lamps she had seen in the hallway that gently illuminated the place. Time to look for a way to get out of here, she thought. She noticed she was on the second floor of the mansion, since the top of the large staircase could be seen a few meters away on her left. But just before Sasha could wanted to walk away, a sound caught her attention... and it was coming from behind the door in front of her.

It sounded like a little girl was crying in that room.

Was it Dolores? That could very well be, unless one of the other residents also happened to be a little girl. Sasha noticed that the door was slightly ajar... she couldn't help herself but have a little peek. Just one, a very brief one, then she would be gone and continue her search. The poor thing sounded very distressed, she could perhaps help her if that was needed. Practically holding her breath, Sasha carefully pushed the door further open so she could have a clear sight, hoping it wouldn't creak. One tiny creak was heard, but thankfully it was almost inaudible. A thin ray of light fell into the dark room, showing a quite saddening, yet somehow bit frightening sight. Dolores was huddled in the furthest corner, her back facing Sasha, not even noticing her. Her little shoulders jolted rhythmically as she sobbed uncontrollably.

'I'm sorry...' Dolores sobbed. At this point, Sasha wasn't sure whether she was telling this to her, herself... or maybe to someone else. 'This is my fault... this is all my fault...'

They were very tiny, but Sasha could clearly see it; the light in the corridor was strong enough to reveal a tiny pair of beady eyes in the darkness surrounding Dolores. Another pair appeared, followed by another one. The pairs of eyes moved towards the light, all while they wouldn't stop staring at Sasha. It quickly became clear that the owners of those beady eyes were three shapeless shadows that were slowly slithering towards her like snakes. They didn't speak a word, they just kept staring at her while they continued to get closer to her.

With goose bumps appearing all over her arms, Sasha walked away from the door.


	5. The Big Red Monster In The Boiler Room

**Chapter 5**

 **The Big Red Monster In The Boiler Room**

'Are ya sure ya don't want to eat that chocolate cake, Sasha?' Becky asked after she carefully refilled the teacup; clicking and rattling could be heard from her arms while she did this.

'Yeah, I am, thanks...'

'But perhaps ya should at least have one bite lass, maybe it will do ya good...'

Sasha rolled her eyes in mild annoyance. 'Alright, fine, I will have a bite. Don't worry about it, okay? I won't let it go to waste.'

'That's the spirit, lass.' the robot maid said. 'I figure ya could really use some cake after what ya have been through.'

Sasha didn't want to say it out loud at the moment, but she honestly wished Becky would shut up and let her figure out a way to escape in peace. They were in the dining room, that was now warmer due to the fire in the fireplace. Even though the worst part of the snowstorm had passed, they both could still hear the wind fiercely howling outside; it sounded like an immense giant, larger than the trees, was blowing out every bit of air he had left in his lungs with all the strength he had. Sasha was pretty sure that the mansion would have much less roof tiles by the time the sun would rise. An endless flurry of snowflakes flew by the windows while the burning woodpile in the fireplace popped and snapped now and then, allowing tiny embers that would only burn for one second to escape. A warm fireplace and falling snow in the dark of the night... these were the two elements of the perfect winter night for many people. Glancing up at the snow, Sasha let out a faint groan. If she had never stepped inside her car to get her stuff back from her ex, she would still be in her apartment and she would enjoy the night under much different circumstances.

While she had gone downstairs, she had seen how much damage that giant monster doll (she wondered what her name was again, she had forgotten all about it) had caused to the main hall during her escape. Deep scratches were carved into the wooden floor. A huge hole could be seen in the wall. Large wallpaper-covered chunks of said wall, along with pieces of wood were scattered everywhere. One of the pieces of wood had a hinge attached to it and Sasha nearly stepped on a doorknob once she reached the bottom of the staircase. A door, she figured. There was a door hidden behind that staircase... that's where that freak show must have been locked up. Could she have sensed her, somehow? Well, if this mansion could be inhabited by robot maids and fawns, then why shouldn't it be inhabited by a giant doll with psychic powers? Because hey, why the hell not? But that was just a wild guess. She could've been at the wrong place at the wrong time for all that mattered. On the very night where a young woman in need entered the mansion to search for help, that thing somehow had found the opportunity to escape from the room she was being held in and the first person she laid her emotionless eyes on happened to be Sasha. She was a stranger, an intruder; that's why she wanted to kill her. And yes, she admitted it; from the second she locked eyes with that porcelain devil (that insult stuck with her for some reason), she was convinced that she was done for. If Dolores had never told that thing to stop... God, she didn't want to think about it.

Sasha took a sip from the tea Becky had poured and stared at the tabletop, lost in her thoughts. This was the second cup of tea she had been drinking, thankfully she didn't taste anything strange about it and she felt fine after she drank it. Well, as far as 'fine' would go, that is... She had been sitting here for fifteen minutes and Becky had done nothing more than trying to make her feel more at ease by constantly offering her to eat something along with the tea. Chocolate cake was not the only thing on the menu now; there were also cupcakes and cookies available. Sasha thought about her most recent plan. If she could find a chair or something else that was heavy enough, she could use it to break a window... but chances were that she could cut herself while climbing through it. Sasha tried to think of another option where she wouldn't risk getting hurt.

And then, when she glanced at the fireplace, it dawned upon her. Of course! The idea looked so good, it almost made her grin in triumph. She remembered Dolores calling someone named Kane for igniting the fireplace. And if Daniel was telling the truth about the magic only being effective inside the mansion... she would be out of here in no time!

'Becky... can I ask you something?' Sasha asked.

'Aye, what is it?'

'Can you tell me where... um... Kane is?'

The robot maid slightly frowned. 'Um, yes... He usually stays in the boiler room and now that it's winter, he often stays there for days on end.'

'And where is this boiler room?'

'It's in the hallway, near the front door. But...'

Sasha gave her no chance to let her finish talking. 'Well, off to the boiler room it is, then!' she said while getting up from her seat. 'I'm going to have a little chat with this guy.'

'But lass, wait!' Becky replied with a hint of worry in her voice. 'Maybe it's better to leave him alone. Kane doesn't really appreciate it when people interrupt him while he's wo-'

'Oh please, I can handle it. Believe me when I say that, seriously.' Sasha said, completely unfazed by the robot maid's warning. Just before she could grab her arm to stop her, she was already out the door and heading towards the hallway. Sasha couldn't give less than a damn if this Kane would get cranky if she'd enter the boiler room, he had to help her, one way or another. He wasn't going to be the first or the last angry person she was ever going to encounter. It's like she told Becky, she could handle this. If she could deal with intoxicated girls who were looking for a ratchet hair-pulling match at the clubs or ex-boyfriends with a short fuse, she was convinced that she could easily deal with Kane as well, cranky or not. Walking through the hallway, Sasha saw what more damage that giant doll had caused to the mansion. Scratch marks had torn through the wallpaper, shredding the small pink flowers into tiny pieces. Holes could be seen in the wooden floor. This is how badly that porcelain monster wanted to catch her... she couldn't care less if she'd tore the whole place down, as long as she would manage to grab Sasha and tear her into pieces like a helpless insect. Sasha could clearly remember her eyes; they showed no emotion, and yet she could feel that burning hate. So much hate... just thinking about it already gave her chills.  
The door that would lead her to Kane was on her left; when Sasha touched the doorknob, she could feel how strangely warm it felt. Well yeah, of course, the boiler room was there, so this made sense, right?

'Here goes nothing...' Sasha mumbled to herself and opened the door. A long flight of stairs greeted her, dimly illuminated by the light in the damaged hallway. As long as she would watch her step, everything would be okay, she figured. Holding her breath, she began her descend down the stairs, carefully taking small steps. The further she walked down the stairs, the darker it became. For a split second, she even considered going back up, but knowing that there was someone downstairs who could help her to escape, Sasha decided to continue. Her feet touching the steps was the only sound there was. Thankfully there was a guardrail, so in case she would be unfortunate enough to slip, she at least had something to grab onto before she would tumble down the stairs. It was so dark... if she had taken her cell phone with her, she could've used it to create some light. Sasha softly groaned in annoyance when she realized that. Man, how could she have forgotten about that...?

'You honestly think you can escape from here?' an unfamiliar female voice suddenly asked in the darkness. Sasha was immediately caught by surprise and almost slipped, but managed to grab onto the guardrail just in time. Her eyes darted from left to right, but she couldn't figure out where exactly it was coming from; it was like the darkness had developed a voice for itself. 'What...?' she whispered.

Whoever was talking softly chuckled. 'Don't waste whatever time you have left on that delusion, you pathetic fool.' she whispered. 'At first I regretted not instantly killing you back in the hallway, but now that I think of it... it would've been a big shame if the fun would've ended right there.'

Oh God... it was her. That monster doll. Charlotte. (That was her name!) Despite the fact that her mouth felt dry and that she could feel her heart beating all the way in her throat, Sasha continued to walk down the stairs and forced herself not to look behind, feeling that a fifteen feet tall mannequin with hair that resembled dry straw was looming over her whilst she spoke. Sasha almost wanted to squeeze her eyes shut to cast that eerie thought away, but she knew the chance that she would slip would be bigger if she did so.

'You will never make it until dawn.' Charlotte hissed spitefully. 'I like to take my time, you know. I am everywhere. You shall always fail to outrun me, no matter how hard you try. I will watch you at every move. You and everyone else here are less than helpless rats, trapped in a cage and waiting for their demise. I will make you regret having the shameless guts to ever set foot in this mansion. I shall destroy everybody in here... including that little brat, Dolores.'

'Shut up!' Sasha snapped back. 'I will be out of here in no time. Just watch me!'

One last mocking chuckle could be heard before it fell silent once more in the darkness. Thank God, she was gone... but Sasha still didn't dare to look behind her. She wasn't planning for one second to head back up the stairs like a scared little girl. Oh hell no. She was going to show that porcelain freak show that she wasn't going to back down for anything, she was convinced that she was going to get out of here before the sun would rise. She couldn't give less than a damn if she had to find her way back to the road in the dark, freezing cold; she would much rather do that than stay in this mansion with a psychotic giant doll on the loose.

After taking a few more steps, Sasha could feel the heat that lingered in here increasing. The boiler room had to be close now. More and more, the warmth became stronger. Suddenly, she noticed that she was at the bottom of the stairs and she bumped into something hard. Sasha's hands touched whatever she had bumped into. Wood. Her right hand traveled down while she hoped to touch what she wanted to. And much to her relief, she could feel a doorknob. A door! This had to be the door that lead her to the boiler room; she could feel how strangely hot the door and doorknob felt on her skin. Without any further hesitation, Sasha opened the door.

In less than a second, it was like a huge wall of heat was dropped on her, almost cutting off her breath. Her skin was instantly warmed up, so much that it almost became painful. At the same time, a bright light that could only be the result from large flames drove the darkness away, revealing another flight of stairs on her left. The heat and brightness of the light was so intense that Sasha had to shield her eyes for a moment before they could adjust to all of it. Yes, this had to be the boiler room without a doubt. When Sasha set foot in the almost unbearably hot room, she immediately saw that this wasn't what she expected at all. The boiler room, which was entirely made of bricks, was large enough for a huge, iron boiler in the back. The vertical gaps in the boiler revealed the roaring fire it contained. Red flames escaped through those gaps and licked against the iron. A table with one chair could be seen on her right with a big jug and a glass of water on the tabletop. A mountain of a man with thin brown hair that reached his shoulders and a black suit that was held together with red stitches, black boots and one black glove was standing in front of the boiler, his back turned to Sasha. That had to be Kane, she figured.

It took just three steps from Sasha to make the tall man turn around; from underneath his red, leather mask that covered most of his face, a pair of piercing blue eyes (the left eye was notably much lighter than the other) glared at her.

'Who dares to enter my boiler room?!' he spoke with a low, angry voice.

Despite his rather intimidating looks, Sasha didn't want to show him that he could startle her. 'You must be Kane, right?' she calmly asked. 'Listen, big guy. I need your help with something. I-'

'I am not going to help you with anything.' Kane curtly replied. 'You have some nerve to interrupt me while I'm keeping the mansion warm with my flames. That maid and the faun may be excited about you, but I couldn't care less. Guest or not, nobody disturbs my peace. You should leave, right now.'

Right on that moment, the entire boiler room began to rumble, as if it was caught in a minor earthquake. A cloud of grit fell from the ceiling and stained the floor and for one terrifying moment Sasha thought that Charlotte was going to burst out of the wall to finish what she started. But as sudden as the rumbling began, it stopped just as sudden. Kane let out a groan of annoyance. 'That damn train...' he mumbled. Then he shifted his attention back to Sasha. 'Haven't you heard what I said? Begone! Let me be! Your troubles are not mine!'

'Oh no, I ain't leaving!' Sasha replied. 'You have to help me to get out of here!'

'The only commands I obey are those from Dolores. Her alone and nobody else.'

Sasha finally lost her patience with the hostile loner. 'Now you listen here...' she hissed angrily. To make her demand perfectly clear, she began to repeatedly poke Kane's chest whilst she spoke. 'I don't want to stay in this damn place for one more second and all I wanted from you was to use your fire powers or whatever to melt down the snow so that I can go home. Does that get through your thick skull, you big, stupid...'

Losing her temper with Kane and resorting to name-calling was possibly one of the biggest mistakes she had ever made. In the blink of an eye, his huge hand grabbed Sasha by her bolero, yanked her close to his face and ripped his mask off, tossing it on the ground. Sasha's eyes widened with shock and she wanted to shriek, but only a shuddering squeak escaped from her throat. His entire face was one big horror to look at. Nearly every patch of skin was horribly burnt, colored in a hideous, angry shade of red and twisted into deep scars. His furious glare pierced into her soul like a sharp knife; that look he gave her would forever haunt every nightmare she would have. Sasha wanted to push him away, but much to her agony, she felt that her limbs felt numb once more.

'I should've incinerated you into ashes from the second you set foot in my boiler room!' Kane growled. 'But I suppose I haven't made myself perfectly clear to you. Let's see if your feet can run as fast as your mouth!' He shoved Sasha to the floor, where she landed with a harsh thud. Sasha let out a high-pitched gasp when she looked up. The fire in the boiler behind Kane had grown much larger and became even hotter, so much that it was almost impossible to breathe. The flames soon towered above the angry loner, who was now slowly raising his arms in the warm air. Not able to break her sight on the terrifying display in front of her, Sasha scrambled to get back up on her feet.

'Get...'

Sasha practically crawled towards the door before she finally managed to stand up. If she wasn't going to get out of here in time, he was going to burn her alive, she realized. That's when she found enough strength in her legs to run like a bat out of hell. Just when she traveled ten steps up the stairs, the temperature reached to hellish peaks.

'Out!' Kane shouted at the top of his lungs, swinging his arms down.

That's when a sea of fire was released behind Sasha. When she glanced behind her while running like her life depended on it (funny thing was, it most definitely did), she saw the flames traveling up the stairs, heading straight to her. Adrenaline kicked in at full force as she loudly screamed in horror, trying her best to stay ahead of the fire, of which the light revealed the stairs in front of her. Sasha was convinced that the tips of the flames almost touched her back. The heat filled up the entire area, causing her to sweat uncontrollably. She remembered thinking when she was in the woods that the cold could kill her, but it looked like she had been horribly wrong about that. Oh God, no, she didn't want to die like this! Looking up, Sasha saw that the door at the top of the stairs was so close. For one heart-stopping moment she almost tripped, but managed to keep her balance. A wave of relief washed over her when she reached out her hand and touched the doorknob, but she knew she wasn't out of danger yet. Sasha swore to God she had never opened a door with so much panic in her entire life, her hands had become slippery from the sweat but she managed to get a grip. As soon as she twisted the knob, she swung the door open and stormed out... but not entirely unharmed.

One flame was able to pass through when she slammed the door shut behind her, brushing past her hand and scorching her skin. Sasha squeezed her eyes shut and shrieked in pain, turning away from the door and cradling her burnt hand. She breathed through her clenched teeth, the pain was so immense that it send a chill down her spine and almost made her dizzy.

Sasha opened her eyes and saw the front door on her left... it was like it was somehow taunting her. Frightened out of her mind, she ran towards the door and began yanking and twisting the doorknob in a desperate attempt to open it, but it wouldn't budge for an inch.

'Come on! Open, damn it! Open!' Sasha shouted, still trying to somehow push the snow that was blocking the path away... but to no avail. A sob escaped from Sasha's mouth while her attempt slowly died off. 'Open... just... open...'

Good God... she had never felt this helpless and powerless in her entire life. Sasha fell on her knees and started to cry. Tears rolled down her cheeks while she cradled her painful hand. Nobody was going to help her. There was no escape from. Nobody from the outside world knew that Sasha Banks was trapped in this mansion in the middle of nowhere. And would anyone care in the first place? Sasha could easily guess that answer.

Was this... some sort of punishment?

Suddenly she could feel a gentle hand on her shoulder, making her look up with teary eyes. Daniel was kneeling next to her, giving her a reassuring smile.

'Are you alright, Sasha? Becky told me where you went, I just had to make sure that you were doing fine.' the faun said. He glanced down, spotting her burnt hand. 'Oh no, I was already afraid that would happen... Come, let's get it treated as quick as possible. I know just the right cure for burns like these. Don't worry, you're going to be fine. Trust me.'

Sasha allowed Daniel to help her to get up and guide her away from the door, heading back to the main hall together while the faun gently rubbed her shoulder.


	6. True Reflection

**Chapter 6**

 **True Reflection**

'Please, make yourself comfortable.' Daniel said when he opened the door.

The faun had given her a stainless white handkerchief with two small green leafs neatly embroidered on one of the four tips to dry off her tears; she could smell a whiff of a rather pleasant perfume while she did so. She did want to give it back to Daniel afterwards, but with a friendly smile, a shake of his head and one waving gesture from his hand, he told her that she could keep it. Sasha's body had been trembling all over when she and Daniel walked through the east hallway, but when they set foot in the faun's study, the interior had a strange, calming effect on her. She didn't know why, but it did. It wasn't her style at all, but still... it felt like she was safe for once.

It was clear that someone who enjoyed reading fine literature and had a passion for science or magic would feel right at home in this study. The walls were covered with a wallpaper with a light, soothing shade of yellow and it looked like the wooden floor had been swept recently. Looking up at the ceiling, Sasha saw that most of it was covered with lush green creepers, as if the ceiling was naturally capable of growing these plants. One way or another, it had to be possible to take care of them, because Sasha couldn't spot one single brown spot on any of the leafs. Three rows of big, antique bookshelves were placed in the middle of the study, all of them crammed with nothing more but old-looking books of all sizes. It looked like the faun had a small private library for his own, Sasha thought. In the back she saw a table with glass tubes, bottles and beakers in all sizes and shapes on it. One of the bottles contained a dark green liquid and was carefully placed on a lit pit that was connected to a bit complicated, yet intriguing chemistry set entirely made of glass, designed to lead one chemical liquid through a spiral-shaped tube, mix it with another liquid on the other side and fill up another beaker. Next to that table was a large cabinet filled with rows of glass bottles, all filled with liquids of all kinds of colors and each was marked with a label with a neatly-written handwriting on it. A stuffed peacock with a very thin layer of dust on its glass eyes and beak, a tail that resembled a waterfall of long, green, elegant feathers and sitting on a thick branch was attached on a wall in the back, just above the fireplace, wherein a gentle fire warmed up the study.

It was hard to forget about the burning pain in her hand; Sasha let out a shuddering groan of pain when the rhythmic pulsing caused another sharp sting to increase the already nearly unbearable pain. The groan was not loud at all, but it was apparently loud enough to alarm Daniel. The faun gave her shoulder a gentle, reassuring squeeze, which Sasha decided to allow; hell, she could even use it at this moment.

'Trust me, the pain won't last for long now.' the faun said. 'Everything is going to be okay.'

How the hell was he so sure about that? Sasha wanted to snap this question to him, but she decided to keep her mouth shut. There was absolutely nothing okay about this entire situation; she was trapped in the most surreal mansion of all times, supposedly created with the powerful imagination of a strange little girl with white hair, in the middle of nowhere and miles away from civilization, she was being stalked by this demented goliath of a doll who probably wants everyone's heads served on silver platters, her hand was burned and she had no idea how she was going to escape now. No, you could easily guess that nothing was okay to her, but for some reason, this polite faun with the friendly smile that never seemed to leave his face believed that everything was going to be fine in the end. Perhaps to those who lived in the mansion... because who cares about what happens to the outsider, right?

'Here, you can sit down if you want to.' Daniel said, gesturing to a brown, leather armchair near the fireplace. Judging from the condition of the seat, it clearly had been sat on for many years and one button was missing on the back, but it did look rather comfortable. Sasha sat down and once her body touched the leather, she let out a tired sigh. She rested the back of her head against the material and whilst she did that, another sharp sting set her scorched skin ablaze once more for one second. Sasha hissed through her clenched teeth and shut her eyes.

'I need to see your hand for a moment.' Daniel said, kneeling down on one knee. He carefully lifted her hand up with his finger and studied the reddened skin. 'Hmm... I see...' the faun mumbled. 'I am pretty sure I can cure this burn in one time with one potion. Hold on.'

He walked over to the cabinet, opened it and took a moment to search for the right potion amongst the many bottles. After five seconds or so, he let out a barely audible 'Ah!', reached out with his hand and retrieved a small bottle containing a light blue liquid. He walked back to Sasha, knelt down again and pulled the cork off the bottle; a loud pop could be heard echoing in the study.

'There, this one should work. Hold still now, it won't take long.' Daniel calmly said whilst he carefully took a hold of Sasha's hand. He tipped the bottle, allowing the potion to drip onto the burned skin. It was like ice was being poured onto her hand, bringing along the oh so soothing cold she needed so much and driving out the scorching pain. Sasha found herself letting out a relaxed sigh, so relieved that the pain was finally subsiding. Daniel continued to pour the potion over her hand until the last drop had left the bottle. Her hand glowed with a bright, blue light for one brief moment before the glow faded away, revealing the healed skin. Sasha couldn't help but stare at her hand while blinking her eyes in surprise.

'Excellent!' Daniel said and let out a content chuckle. 'Nothing a little bit of magic can't fix! How does your hand feel?'

'It's... It's fine, the pain is gone. Thank you...' an amazed Sasha replied with a soft voice, somehow expecting the glow to make a return.

'You're more than welcome, Miss Sasha!' The faun got up, put the empty bottle back in the cabinet and clapped one time in his hands. 'Now that this is over, do you feel like having some fresh tea? I could ask Becky to bring some. You can have a little snack with it if you want.'

Sasha shook her head and curled her mouth into a small smile. 'Thanks, but no thanks. I think I had enough tea for tonight, honestly.'

'Very well then. Remember, you can have tea whenever you want to. We don't want our visitor to go thirsty. But I think there is something important that you should you... or maybe you have probably figured it out by now.' The smile disappeared from Daniel's face as he gave his guest a serious look. Up until now, he had always tried his best to reassure her as much as possible with a friendly smile and a calm explanation, but judging by the look on his face now, Sasha had a feeling in her gut that this explanation might unintentionally unsettle her more than she already was before. 'Believe me when I say that most of the creatures who live here in this mansion are friendly. Most. Unfortunately there are some others who you have to be careful for since... well... forgive me for this choice of words, but they might not be so friendly towards you because you're an outsider. They have yet to know you.'

Sasha glanced at the bright fire in the fireplace; despite the warmth it produced, a shiver slowly traveled up her spine. 'I'm pretty sure that Kane is one of them...' she mumbled.

'You are right about that. But Kane... he has always been a bit hostile towards others. Except for Dolores. She is the only one who is allowed to come close to him.'

'But why? I mean... Why is he like that?'

'He can't help it, Sasha. It's in his nature. He has been like this from the moment he had been created. Once a certain trait has been given to us, we cannot unlearn it. I, for example, will always enjoy reading well-written books, keeping the mansion neat and experimenting with science. But of course it's possible for us to pick up traits along the way. It's only natural, if you'd ask me. No matter how long we will live, we will always learn and develop. But like I said before, there are some traits that will never change. All of us are created under the influence of every emotion and experience Dolores ever had in her life. We represent them. And unfortunately... not all of those emotions and experiences were pleasant. Not one bit...'

How could this friendly faun be based on a negative emotion or experience? Sasha had only known him for a short time, but so far he had been nothing else but nice and very polite to her. But this was only the beginning of a very long night. It would be a matter of time before the faun's more unpleasant traits would show themselves. Sasha could really use someone to trust at this moment, but at the same time, she found it a bit hard to do so. And whatever Dolores must have been through in her past, Kane was the perfect example of the representation of something negative, if you'd ask her. Now that she thought about it... it must have been something really bad.

'Say, would you like to borrow a book of mine?' Daniel suddenly asked. He gestured to the full bookcases with a certain hint of pride on his face. 'I have plenty of them, I'm pretty sure there might be one or more books that might interest you. I don't wish for you to get bored while waiting for dawn.'

He actually did make a point there. Sasha had never been much of a reader herself, but hell, a bit of entertainment didn't sound bad at all. And maybe he could be right; maybe there was something interesting to read. Reading a good story could make her forget about everything, even if it wouldn't last for long.

'Um... sure, thanks!' she replied.

She got up from the armchair and just when she wanted to walk to the bookcases to search for a book, her eye fell on something near the fireplace. It was an unfinished crib. A hammer, saw, some nails and a pile of beams of various sizes were lying next to it on the floor. A thick brush was sticking out of a big jar containing light green paint. Just a few more touches and the crib would be finished. So this meant that there was also a baby in this mansion... or maybe one had yet to be born. Daniel caught Sasha staring at the crib and smiled shyly.

'It's a little present for my wife.' the faun said. 'Maybe you two could meet later on, I bet you will get along great with her! But... please don't tell her about the present I'm making for her, okay?'

Ah, so Daniel was a married faun! Well, Sasha guessed there were women in this world that were into guys with goat legs and horns. She almost sniggered at this thought, but she managed to keep quiet. Instead, she curled her mouth into a little smirk. 'Don't worry Daniel, I won't say a word.'

Her sight glided over the back of the many books on the shelves of the first bookcase she passed by. There were a lot of books that were written by authors and poets that she knew, like Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe and Oscar Wilde, but none of the titles really caught her attention. There were also a few books from writers that she had never heard of, every moment now and then she considered to take a book with a title that did sound quite promising (titles like 'At The Bottom Of The Lake', 'The Ram Skull', 'Stray Cat's Aria', 'A Flower's Death' and 'Queen Of Nothing'), but then decided to wait until she would find better, more intriguing reading material in the other bookcases. Just then, she saw something that might very well show another character trait from Daniel; it was a thick cookbook containing vegetarian recipes.

'Are you a vegetarian, Daniel?' Sasha asked.

The faun nodded. 'Yes, always have been, from the day I was created.' he replied. 'I know I can always try to eat meat, but... I am simply not interested in it.'

Sasha continued her search for a book to kill some time for the night. By the time she had reached the end of the bookcase, something new caught her attention. It was a large, antique mirror on the wall near the door, covered with two small red curtains. Now why would that mirror be covered up? Sasha couldn't help but wonder that. Perhaps it was damaged... It looked like just an old mirror that you could probably find in your grandma's dusty basement or attic, what harm could that possibly bring? At the very same moment, Sasha's vanity, one of the traits that was very well-known amongst all her exes, reared its ugly head. It was that vanity that managed to keep her ego intact over the past years, she had relied on it for many times. She dearly hoped this insane stay in the mansion hadn't affected her beauty in any kind of way; for one moment, she was actually glad that Kane's fire struck her hand instead of her face. She just had to check it out, she had to be sure. Sasha walked over to the mirror and parted the curtains, expecting to lay eyes upon her reflection.

Less than one second later, she let out a loud gasp and took one step back, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Yes, she did see herself in the mirror... but not in the way she had expected.

A young girl from around thirteen years old stared back at her from the other side. She had long, dark brown hair and was wearing a pair of glasses with a thick, black frame that was being held together with a piece of transparent tape in the middle. The pink sweater she was wearing must've been worn for many years, because two holes could be seen in the material. A hideous navy blue stain, most likely an ink stain, could easily be spotted on her pair of jeans. Sasha wanted to look away, but at the same time, she couldn't. Oh God... she knew exactly who that girl was.

It was her when she was younger.

Little Sasha's big brown eyes were widened with fright, constantly darting left and right. Her entire body language showed that she was nervous beyond belief, she looked like she wanted to run away from whatever was scaring her. Mocking laughter, cruel and relentless, could be heard everywhere, it was almost like it filled up the entire study. The laughter obviously belonged to a group of girls, but they couldn't be seen anywhere. Little Sasha cringed like a vulnerable little bird, squeezing her eyes firmly shut. Her mouth trembled, as if she wanted to fight back the tears that were coming, knowing damn well that the laughter would only grow louder if she would break down and desperately wishing for it to stop; she even blocked her ears with her trembling hands in an attempt to not hear it. But the laughter didn't stop. Whoever was laughing, they were determined to make her cry. Then Little Sasha couldn't take it anymore. She opened her mouth and let out a heavily distorted, shrill wail while tears rolled down her face.

That was all that Sasha could possibly take. She nearly ripped off the curtains from the railing when she pulled them together, covering the mirror. It immediately fell silent in the study. Her hands trembled uncontrollably, her entire body felt cold. Sasha closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing, but to little avail. This was too much, this was way too much...

'I'm frightfully sorry you had to see that.' Daniel suddenly said. Looking over her shoulder, Sasha saw that the faun was standing behind her. 'The mirrors in this mansion show one's true reflection... which means it shows everything. From true emotions to how you were like in the past, they show it all.'

'I... I need some fresh air...' Sasha whispered with a hoarse voice. Before Daniel could say something back, she had already exited the study.


	7. Whispers

**Chapter 7**

 **Whispers**

Her hands were trembling so much, she clenched them into fists so tightly that they just hurt. It was nearly impossible to control her breathing, she was afraid that she was going to hyperventilate at any moment, hell, she was already starting to feel light in her head. Sasha leaned her head against the door of the study, trying nothing more but her best to pull herself together. Tears were burning in her eyes, but she refused to spill one single tear. She didn't care if her eyes would explode out of her sockets, there was no way in hell she was going to cry. Sasha had done that plenty of times in the times and she was already embarrassed by the fact she had broke down in tears after her heated encounter with Kane; she was absolutely done with crying.

'Jesus Christ Sash, get a hang of yourself...' she mumbled to herself with a hoarse voice. 'You're not going to freaking cry about what you saw in some stupid mirror? You ain't that girl anymore. You're much better than her. What you are now is because of the choices you made and they were right. You hear me? Now pull yourself together and don't cry. Don't cry damn it, don't cry...!'

Sasha slowly breathed in and out, her breath shook as it escaped through her mouth. What she had seen back there in the study was too much, way too much. But she couldn't let the magic in this damn mansion get to her; if she would mentally break down, things would become even worse than they were before. Not only that, but she would also indirectly entertain Charlotte by allowing her to watch her having a meltdown. That was exactly what she would've wanted. Just by the thought of her lying on the ground, sobbing hysterically like a distraught toddler and well on her way to losing her mind, and the giant doll looking down on her while her porcelain mouth somehow curled into an eerie smirk, Sasha's skin turned warm with anger. Oh no, hell no. She was not going to give that freak show what she wanted. She had remained strong for many years and one night in this mansion wasn't ever going to break her.

Sasha brushed against her eyes with her hands before she opened them and glanced at her hands. Thankfully they had stopped trembling. Sasha noticed that her breathing had gone back to normal and that strange, light feeling in her head had disappeared as well. Thank God about that. She could feel that her throat was dry, she considered to go back to the dining room and ask Becky if she could make her a cup of tea. Sasha knew that she would never look the same way at tea again after this insane night would end, it would forever remind her it, no matter how old she would become.

That is... if she would survive her stay.

It was so quiet in the corridor that it was almost unsettling. Sasha couldn't lay a finger on it, but she had the strong feeling someone or something was watching her silently. The silence was broken by a strong howl from the wind outside, continuing to send countless snowflakes flying past the windows. Sasha stared at the darkness on the other side of the window, wondering how long it would last before it would finally stop snowing. Chances were that if this would continue all night, escape wouldn't even be possible when dawn arrived. Then she had no other choice then smashing a window, but if that was the only other option at that moment, then so be it; a nasty cut in the palm of her hand would be worth the precious freedom she would regain. Sasha had no idea what time it was at this moment, but she was convinced that she had left her apartment around eight or so. She could've been unconscious for hours after Charlotte had attacked her, right now it could very well be past midnight. So if she managed to somehow survive for a few more hours and if it would stop snowing by that time with a bit of luck, everything would be alright. For now, she should try her best to stay away from that porcelain behemoth Charlotte and she sure as hell should stay away from the other mirrors that were in this mansion. While she was thinking about all of this whilst still staring at the cold darkness, Sasha still couldn't shake off that awfully persistent feeling in her guts that told her that she was being watched. And for some reason, it felt like not only one pair of eyes were looking at her... but more. Many more. Another thing to work on, she instantly realized; her paranoia. Sure, some paranoia would definitely be needed during these long hours that were to come, the healthy kind that was, but Sasha knew that she would only get closer to going crazy if she would constantly keep it up at an immense rate. Perhaps for now she could go back to the dining room and come up with a new plan...

'It's her.'

The howling of the wind has subsided, enabling this sudden whisper to overlap it. Sasha snapped out of her thoughts and looked around, fully alert and with wide eyes. 'What...?' she said with a soft voice. That whisper sounded so close, as if whoever emitted that was standing right next to her... and yet she was the only person in the hallway. Goose bumps instantly appeared on her arms. Oh God, please don't tell there are ghosts here as well...

'Who?'

'Her.'

'But who?'

'The one with the strange hair...'

Sasha couldn't figure out whether the whispers belonged to either a man or woman; the voices sounded high-pitched. But this proved that feeling right; she was being watched. Her eyes darted from left to right, trying to catch a glimpse of whoever was whispering, but there was nobody there. Sasha wanted to open her mouth and yell at them to come out wherever they were, but it felt like her jaw was frozen. Then, when her sight was set on the wall, she realized where those damn voices where coming from... and it send one heavy chill down her spine. When she had walked with Daniel to the study earlier, she had noticed that the walls in this corridor were in a slightly more worn down condition than the ones in the hallway, main hall and the second floor. Thick cracks could be seen on the spots where the wallpaper had been torn off. Only now Sasha could see why she had the feeling of being watched earlier; four pairs of beady eyes looked straight at her through those cracks. Sasha wanted to walk away, she wanted to walk away so badly, but it felt like her feet had somehow fused with the floor. She watched as shapeless shadows slid out of the cracks, the gazes from those tiny but unsettling eyes not breaking for one moment while they slithered towards her like serpents. They clearly had no mouths, and yet they somehow had the ability to speak. Oh dear God... it were the same shadows she saw in Dolores' room!

'Oh yes, I see her now...'

'I told you so.'

'What is her name?'

'I have forgotten, does it matter?'

'I have never seen her here before...'

'That's because she's an intruder.'

'Who?'

'Her.'

'The one with the strange hair...'

'The intruder...'

'We never had an intruder in this mansion...'

'Is she the one who has released Charlotte?'

The shadows were close enough to touch Sasha, staring up at her, none of them blinked once. Big oil stains with small eyes, that's all they were. Just when Sasha found enough strength in her legs to run away, a part of one of the shadow's being expanded and quickly started to take shape. In a matter of seconds, it had turned into the shape of a hand with long fingers that found Sasha's wrist, firmly grabbing it. Sasha couldn't help but immediately noticed how wet the 'skin' felt. It was like their bodies were made out of water and it felt so cold. 'Get away from me!' Sasha said, trying to yank her wrist out of the shadow's grip, but to no avail. As small and weak those shadows looked, they surprisingly possessed quite some strength.

'Who else could it have been?' the shadow who had grabbed her wrist whispered. 'None of us, I'm sure...'

'We are all happy here.'

'Then it must've been her for sure...'

'Who?'

'The intruder...'

Much to Sasha's horror, the other three shadows sprouted 'hands' as well and grabbed her by her ankles and other wrist, all whilst they whispered the word 'intruder' over and over again. Their wet 'hands' soaked parts of her clothes, they were so cold, so wet, it gave Sasha chills everywhere on her body. She still tried to break free from the shadows' grips, but it was useless. The shadows extended their 'necks'; everywhere she looked, Sasha could only see four pairs of white, emotionless beady eyes, staring straight at her. Sasha slammed her shut, just to block out the sight of those eyes. A scream was about to well up from her throat when a familiar voice could be heard speaking calmly at the end of the corridor.

'Please, let go of her.'

Wait, could that be...? Sasha opened her eyes and saw that the shadows had finally lost their attention towards her and were now looking at someone else behind them. Footsteps in their direction followed. It was little Dolores. Sasha could almost let out a huge sigh of relief, she never thought she would be this happy to see her again.

'It's alright, she is not an intruder, she is our guest.' Dolores said to the shadows. 'Believe me, she is no threat to us at all. You don't have to fear her. I shall tell you this again, dear shadows... you can let go of her. Trust me.'

The four shadows exchanged a look with each other, then looked back at Dolores. Then, much to Sasha's growing relief, their 'hands' finally released her limbs and lost their shape whilst they retreated into the shadows' beings. Without saying a word (not even an apology, those cheeky pipsqueaks), they slithered back to the cracks in the wall, traveled up the wallpaper and squeezed their way into the cracks, disappearing in the walls. Sasha stared at the cracks, wanting to be absolutely sure they were indeed gone.

'Are you alright, Sasha?' Dolores asked, catching her attention. Now that Sasha saw the little girl's face from up close, she saw that the area around her big, brown eyes had colored in a very light shade of red, a result of her crying fit a little while earlier. The white-haired girl tried to give her a friendly, even apologetic smile, but it didn't look too convincing. 'I'm sorry about those shadows. They tend to be outrageously curious most of the time and I understand if they had spooked you. But they don't mean any harm, really. I heard your voice when I was walking down the stairs, for a moment I was afraid that you ran into... her.'

Sasha immediately knew who she was talking about. 'Her... You mean Charlotte, right?'

The smile dropped from Dolores' face while she nodded. 'Exactly. I have been searching for her everywhere, I have no idea where she could possibly be. It looks like she constantly moves around, I swear that I can hear her voice everywhere. She's calling out to me. But when I respond to her, she won't say anything. Sasha, I believe she is taunting me...'

That poor sap had absolutely no idea what that freak had in store for her... 'Do you know what she wants from you, Dolores?' Sasha asked. 'What does she want from everyone else in this mansion? I have heard when I went to the boiler room and... well, I'm not going to lie, she sounded pretty pissed off when she mentioned you.'

The little girl gulped and glanced down at the floor. Her hands firmly gripped her skirt and for a moment, Sasha was convinced that she was fighting back tears. For a little while, it remained quiet in the corridor... which only confirmed that theory.

'I don't blame her.' Dolores finally spoke.

'What?'

'I said, I don't blame her.' The white-haired girl looked up at Sasha. 'She has all the right to be resentful at me. I... I have hurt her, Sasha. I have hurt her really bad. I don't blame her after everything that has happened.'

'Jesus Christ, Dolores, you don't mean to tell me that you're going to allow her to actually hurt you, do you?' Sasha asked with an indignant tone in her voice. 'Look, there must be a way to get out of here! You must know that! We can look for a way to escape so Charlotte can't get her hands on-'

'I can't!' Dolores suddenly exclaimed. 'Don't you understand? I can't possibly leave! I have to stay here, even if I want to get away from Charlotte. I can't ever leave this mansion. And besides... I would never be able to live with myself if she hurts my friends.' The little girl let out a trembling sigh. 'If I... If I can get the opportunity to talk to her... maybe all of this will stop.'

'I can come with you.' Sasha said. 'You can't do this all by yourself, I have seen what that thing can do!'

'No, you're wrong. You could get hurt. I can do this and I can do this alone. This is my responsibility.' Dolores calmly replied. 'Sasha, thank you for your concern about me, but I have to hurry. Not only do I have to search for Charlotte, but I have to search for something else as well. I have to find the gear that can seal her back into her prison before anyone else can get hurt. Please, Sasha... be careful.'

Then the little girl turned around and ran away from her, leaving Sasha to wonder even more about what the hell was going on in this insane mansion.


	8. Enter The Enchanted Garden

**Chapter 8**

 **Enter The Enchanted Garden**

What was that line that Alice said again when she went down the rabbit hole? It was on the tip of Sasha's tongue when she headed back to the main hall, but it wasn't quite there. She was absolutely certain she had read _'Alice's Adventures In Wonderland_ ' at one point in her childhood, yes, she could remember that moment. It was a rainy afternoon on some day in mid-November when a ten-year old Sasha Banks had visited the local library in her hometown, the thin material of her blue jacket soaking wet and showing a tear on the right sleeve and raindrops staining her glasses. Her feet barely touched the floor when she sat down at one of the tables and dove into the magical adventure the little Alice experienced in the odd, illogical, charming world of Wonderland. It was one of her favorite stories when she was a kid, but by the time she was in her late teens, she had practically forgotten all about Alice, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Queen Of Hearts and everything else about the tale. Sasha hadn't thought about it for once in years, up until now. It was that one line that would perfectly describe this whole situation... but what was it? In some way, it was like she had entered Wonderland once more, but a much more dangerous and frightening one, where Dolores fulfilled the role of Alice. No, that wasn't right. Dolores was the one who practically ruled this mansion, so she was actually the Queen Of Hearts; all that was missing was a big, golden crown on her head and a vicious temper. No, she wasn't Alice... Sasha was.

While she was still walking through the corridor that lead back to the main hall, Sasha knew that she was now stuck with more puzzling questions than confirming answers. Yes, it was obvious that the gear Dolores was talking about was of great importance, it was the tool she needed to lock that demented mannequin Charlotte back into the prison where she belonged... but why a gear? Was a key not enough to imprison her? This was no ordinary cage she was being kept in, obviously. Perhaps she was kept in some complicated, intriguing mechanism forming one big prison, like you would see in sci-fi books and movies, because iron bars weren't strong enough to hold her back. Sasha could imagine Charlotte snapping those bars in half like toothpicks, which backed up her 'mechanical prison' theory. If that gear was indeed going to be enough to lock up the giant doll, then she would gladly help looking for it. It would immensely increase Sasha's chances of surviving this crazy night, that was for sure. Those shadows weren't going to be much of a threat, they didn't look like they could harm her despite their high curiosity. And if she would stay away from the boiler room, Kane wasn't going to be a problem either. It had become perfectly clear that she couldn't count on him for help, but if she would manage to convince Dolores to tell him to help her getting out of here, then maybe, just maybe... But that would mean she had to leave that little girl behind with that psychotic doll. No, it didn't have to be like that; Sasha could get her out of there if she hadn't found that gear by then. The haunting mental image of Charlotte cornering a frightened, defenseless, wide-eyed Dolores and swatting her like a helpless fly with her hand, crushing her frail little body and turning it into a gory pulp of bloody flesh, squashed organs and broken bones, send a chill up her spine. Yes, she was possibly the most unsettling kid Sasha had ever met in her whole life, but she didn't deserve to end like that.

A few hours ago, Sasha wouldn't have given a damn if that little girl would be left behind, as long as she and she alone would get out of here... so why did she suddenly start caring a bit more about her?

But then, when Sasha reached the end of the corridor and stared at one of the many odds sights the mansion had to offer her in the main hall, the line Alice spoke in the story instantly popped up in her mind.

 _'Curiouser and curiouser...'_

A group of shadows, big ones and small ones, had formed a line in the main hall and slowly slithered towards the hallway, emitting a sea of incoherent, non-stop whispering. Countless pairs of beady eyes, all focused on where they were going, not one looking at Sasha. There was one feature about these shadows she immediately noticed that made them different from the ones she had encountered outside Daniel's study; all the shadows were wearing clothes and carrying suitcases, some of them stuffed with so much clothing that the suitcases had taken a roundish shape and had pieces of fabric sticking out of the slits. All of the clothes and accessories the shadows were wearing had to be designed in the late 1800's; waistcoats, bowler hats, pocket watches, ties, frilled dresses, umbrellas, hats adorned with feathers and ribbons; some of the 'female' shadows were wearing blonde wigs, elegantly styled into big ringlets. The smaller shadows (of which Sasha assumed were the 'children') were dressed in a more child-like fashion and tried their best to keep up with their 'parents'; one of the smaller shadows was consuming a large, cherry red, spiral-shaped lollipop and nearly dropped his small teddy bear as it followed the line. Sasha found herself wondering where they were going. Not even when she took a few steps forward, she shadows seemed to ignore her. Looking to her left, she saw that the door that lead to Kane's boiler room was wide open; like meek sheep, the shadows traveled downstairs, their collective whispering still could be heard from down there. Sasha slightly frowned. Why the hell would they all go to Kane? For some reason, Sasha could imagine the shadows leaping into the scorching flames the boiler spew through its gaps like lemmings from a cliff, all while Kane watched them on the sidelines with no emotion whatsoever on the burned face he hid behind his mask. But why? Why would they do that? Sasha wasn't entirely sure if she actually did want to know. In a mix of some discomfort and mild amazement, she watched the odd migration without speaking a single word, not wanting to draw their attention. She tried figure out what exactly they were frantically whispering about, but it was practically impossible. Sasha watched until the last shadow had made its descent down the stairs, closing the door behind it with a soft click. Silence filled the main hall once more, only to be interrupted a few seconds later by the howling wind outside.

So many strange sights in what seemed like such little time, each one of them more difficult to process than the other. Sasha could feel a mild headache rising up on the left temple, which slowly traveled to the other side of her head. Strange thing was, she wasn't even about to get mad, since this was the most common cause for her headaches. Was it perhaps because her mind that had always relied on logic for as long as she could remember couldn't handle the immense process of all the craziness that was going on here? Most likely so, Sasha figured. For a moment she considered going back upstairs, lie down on the bed, close her eyes and hope she could catch some sleep until the sun would rise, but she quickly dismissed that idea. How the hell was she going to nap while Charlotte was still on the loose? She would be nothing more but a sitting duck, waiting for that porcelain goliath to snatch her up and finish what she had started back in the hallway. No, napping was out of the question. But how else could she get rid of the headache that was building up more and more? Fresh air... she suddenly felt the strong desire for fresh air. An open window would be enough to let in a cold, but refreshing gust. Sasha wondered if she could manage to open one of the windows, they all looked old, but weren't rusted; if she put some strength into it, it might work. And with a bit of luck, she could pry open a window far enough and squeeze herself through it, rightfully earning herself a ticket to precious freedom. Maybe the windows in the dining room would be easy to open. Sasha walked to the other side of the main hall and when she was about to open the door of the dining room, something surprising caught her eye.

Turning her head to the right, she saw a large backdoor, entirely made of thick glass... and what Sasha saw behind it, looked nothing else but inviting. No snow was blocking it; allowing her paranoia to take a backseat, Sasha opened the backdoor in a mix of wonder and hope for a possible way to escape.

Daniel was without a doubt right about what he said when they met for the first time; there was beauty in this mansion.

'Wow...' Sasha's jaw dropped when she laid eyes upon the most beautiful garden she had ever seen in her entire life. All of the worries she had felt earlier slipped away, as if they had never existed... and it was all because of this immense garden, for some reason. Everywhere she looked, she couldn't see anything that looked remotely threatening or hideous in any kind of way. The garden was the home of strange, but otherwise gorgeous flowers with pointed, purple petals with tiny dark blue spots on it, resembling stars. If it hadn't been for the little lights that grew in the very center of those flowers, Sasha couldn't have seen a thing out here; a pool of light were formed with these flowers, revealing the path in front of her and their beauty. Their leafs were sharply pointed at well, with green, curly strings growing from the tips. Sasha had never seen any kind of flower that could resemble these, she was convinced that there were no such flowers in the world that had the ability to shine light from their stigmas. This had to be a creation from Dolores' imagination, without a doubt. Only in this place, you would find flowers like these. Something suddenly brushed against her cheek, the touch was so light that it resembled a gentle stroke of a lover's finger. Sasha looked up and blinked her eyes in surprise when she laid eyes upon whatever had flew past her. She could barely believe what she was seeing, but her eyes weren't lying to her; it was a little lilac seahorse with transparent wings, strongly resembling the wings of a dragonfly. Its black eyes, not much larger than the head of a pin, stared back at her and it almost looked like the tiny creature was tilting his head, as if it was just as surprised as she was. Allowing herself to let her guard down for once, Sasha reached out her hand, but just when her fingertips were close enough to touch it, the winged seahorse let out a high-pitched neigh ('My God, it actually neighs like a little horse!' Sasha thought, much to her amusement) before it flew off into the direction of the path in front of her, where more neighing could be heard; it was more than obvious that his friends were waiting for him there. When Sasha had turned her head to see where the little creature was going, more strangely beautiful inhabitants of this garden. Butterflies with large, royal blue wings with elegant curls on the tips, had carefully landed on the flowers, inserted their proboscises into their centers and feasted themselves on the nectar. As they continued to feed, Sasha saw their frail wings glowing with a bright blue light, revealing the purple, swirled patterns on them. The tiny stomachs of some butterflies had been filled and they flew off, revealing their thin, long tails that had a purple orb on their tips, a bit larger than a simple bead. They reminded her of those expensive kites the boys who lived a few blocks away from the neighborhood she grew up played with in the park.

'Dolores, you have quite some imagination...' Sasha mumbled. Up until now, she thought the little girl was only capable of creating stuff you could only encounter in a nightmare, but now it became clearly that there were beautiful thoughts in her head as well; and all of them formed this garden right here. Sasha remembered what Daniel had told her in his study. If everyone who lived here was created under the influence of an experience or emotion that Dolores had during her life, whether they were bad or good, would this also count for this garden? If so, then there had to be good moments in Dolores' life. It had to be, or else Daniel and Becky wouldn't be here; they were so far the only residents in this mansion who Sasha thought were okay. Becky may be a total klutz and a chatterbox, but her mechanical heart was definitely in the right place. And Daniel tried his best to make her feel at ease in this strange environment, which Sasha appreciated. But whatever experience or emotion Dolores had in order to create Charlotte and Kane... man, they must've been bad.

What else did this garden have to offer her? Well, there was only one way to find out about that, right? Sasha didn't hesitate to venture further into this new part of the mansion, admiring the view around her. Lighting wasn't a problem at all. Fireflies, of which their lower bodies constantly changed between the colors blue and purple, had sensed the presence of the visitor and decided to illuminate the patch in front of her, shining bright lights on everything around her. Sasha almost had the feeling that she was a princess from a Disney movie, taking a stroll in the magical garden of the palace, surrounded by flowers and animals that were fond of her. That thought alone made her chuckle, it was so childish, but still. As she followed the path, something on her left caught her eye. It was a bush containing countless, small, dark pink berries. Sasha knelt down to study them a bit closer. She remembered that two of these berries were put on top of the slice of chocolate cake Becky had offered her, so that would mean that they were edible. Besides, Sasha had to admit, they looked quite tasty. She decided to go for it, she could always spit it out if she had to. Sasha plucked one of the berries and put it in her mouth, expecting for a split second that she was going to be greeted with a horribly sour taste that most berries had (when she was five years old, she thought it would be a good idea to eat the red berries that grew in the bushes of the neighbor and upon discovering that they were in fact as sour as they could be, she spat them out and had trust issues with eating anything that resembled berries until the age of seven). But that didn't happen. Instead, it was like she was eating candy, it tasted so sweet. It was a good kind of sweet, though. Sasha found the little treat tasty enough t eat another one. After she swallowed it down and looked around her, there was something quite particular she noticed.

'There's no snow on the plants...' she mumbled. It had been snowing like there was no tomorrow, and yet she couldn't spot one singly snowflake on the flowers or the grass. But how...?

'Yes, and I prefer it like this.'

The unfamiliar female voice sounded like it was coming from right behind her. Whilst her eyes widened in alertness, Sasha turned around to see whoever was speaking... but there was nobody there. It looked like she was all on her own in this garden, but it was not. Her ears hadn't been lying to her, someone was speaking to her! But where was that woman? Sasha's eyes darted from left to right, but it was like the mystery woman had disappeared into thin air. The calmness she had felt earlier started to fade, but there was one small relief about this; it wasn't Charlotte's voice.

'W-Who's there?' Sasha asked. 'Where are you?'

'Right here, you silly human!' Again, the voice came from behind her. Sasha turned around once more, but alas, no glimpse on whoever was speaking. A playful chuckle could be heard. 'I hate it when that awful snow ruins my beautiful flowers... that's why I created a shield around the garden to protect them. Look up.'

Sasha did so and almost couldn't believe her eyes. The snow that touched the gigantic, invisible dome incasing the garden spread on the top and trickled down the walls, disallowing one snowflake to pass through and touch the flowers. It was like they were stuck in some sort of reverse snow globe. Even this garden didn't give her an opportunity to escape, Sasha realized. A groan of frustration welled up in her throat, but she held it down.

'Come, don't be shy of exploring my garden a bit more. You're more than welcome to do so, really. Because after all, I don't think you'll be leaving anytime soon...' One more chuckle of the invisible mystery woman could be heard, followed by the rustling of leafs that died off as it traveled down the path. At that moment, Sasha had no idea whether she should go back inside or venture further into the enchanted garden. A few hours ago, she wouldn't have hesitated for one second to run back inside like the devil himself was chasing her, but now... something had changed. The tone in the voice of the woman didn't sound threatening at all, it really sounded like she was inviting her. And if it would turn out she had been deceived after all, she would always be able to make a run for it. The garden didn't look like a maze at all, there was only one single path that headed north. Sasha decided to continue.

After less than two minutes of following the path, Sasha laid eyes upon another beautiful sight this garden had to offer. The path ended at the shore of a narrow lake, where a row of steppingstones could be seen at the surface and would lead her to the other side. A long row of arches made from flowers and leafs resulted the lake to have an atmosphere that was almost beyond dreamy. Blue and purple lights could be seen in the water, but Sasha couldn't really see what exactly produced those lights. She narrowed her eyes and set her sight on whatever was on the other side of the lake; it looked like a big tree, but she wasn't entirely sure. Once she would get closer to it, she could have a better look. She looked at the steppingstones. They didn't look slippery and there wasn't much distance between them, so as long as she would keep her balance, nothing could go wrong. Alright... she was going for it. Sasha held her breath when she set foot on the first steppingstone, careful not to slip. The heels of her ankle boots, the suede now stained with bleak spots due to the snow, found a solid grip on the flat stones. She took her time to move onto the next steppingstones, afraid that one hasty move would make her lose her balance and result in an icy cold dive. But as she went on, Sasha felt more relaxed, convinced that she would make it to the other side with dry clothes. This was actually quite easy... but perhaps someone was making this a little bit too easy for her. Just when she was halfway there, loudly rustling leafs from the arches made her look up. A familiar, playful chuckle could be heard on her left, as if it was coming from the leafs themselves.

'Hey... watch your step.'

There was no time for Sasha to hold her breath or let out a shriek. The steppingstone underneath her feet disappeared in the blink of an eye and she plunged into the water. The rustling of the leafs were cut off instantly as her head went under. Her long hair turned into a weightless, waving cloud of magenta. Squeezing her eyes shut, Sasha expected an unbearable, torturous cold to crash over her like an avalanche, but once again, she was surprised. The water almost felt lukewarm, like a warm bath that had lost its warmth over a short period of time. She hadn't thought the lake was this deep, she kept sinking, unsure of when her feet would touch the bottom. Blue and purple glows shone upon her eyelids. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw where those lights were coming from. The sight was without a doubt stunning from up close; Sasha found herself surrounded by a school of jellyfishes, their transparent bodies allowing their unusual pigments to shine with the brightness of neon lights. It was like their long tentacles were decorated with frills, reminding her of Victorian dresses. Even though the mysterious animals didn't move an inch in front of her, Sasha did see some movement in the corner of her eye. Looking to her left, she saw much to her shock that one purple jellyfish had inched closer to her wrist. It was too late to pull her arm out of harm's way, its frilly tentacles were more than close enough to touch her skin. Sasha expected heavy pain akin to insanely high voltage to spark through her muscles and set her skin on fire at any second... but nothing happened. She clearly saw the tentacles of the jellyfish stroke over her wrist, but it was like a set of threads dragging over it. No sensation at all. But there was no time to wonder how the hell this was possible; her lungs were in desperate need of oxygen. Sasha quickly made her way back to the surface and immediately gasped for air once she emerged. Strands of wet hair were sticking against her face and her body felt heavy due to the soaking wet clothes. Wiping the hair out of her face, she saw that the shore wasn't that far away now. Doing her best to not let the heavy weight of her clothes drag her down and with no steppingstones in sight, Sasha swam across the narrow lake, making her way through the school of jellyfishes. The animals spread apart once she got close enough to them, at one point the tips of the tentacles from one of them touched her hand, but again, there was no pain.

Out of breath, Sasha finally reached the shore. She used all the strength she had to pull herself up, in which she succeeded. Once her upper body touched the grass, she swung her legs out of the water, rolled over to her back and let out a heavy sigh before allowing herself to catch some breath. She studied her hands and wrist to see if the jellyfishes had truly done any damage to her body, but it looked like she had never been touched by their tentacles; her skin looked perfectly normal.

'How's that possible...?' Sasha whispered between her panting. 'They... didn't hurt me...'

'That's because of the berries you ate.'

It was the invisible woman speaking again. Sasha instantly sat up and looked around her, but just like she expected, it looked like the air itself had been talking to her. 'The berries made you immune to their stings.' the mystery woman explained while her voice trailed off to the north. 'Good thinking of you to eat them. Bet you didn't expect to reach the shore all soaked like a drowned cat...'

After hearing her amused chuckle, Sasha finally had enough of the teasing and got up on her feet. 'Hey, get back here!' she said. 'Show yourself!' She began to run into the direction of where the voice was heading to. Her speed was slowed down however by her soaking wet clothes, but she determined to make the invisible mystery woman reveal herself. And when she was done with that, she would go ask Becky if she had any more spare clothes to wear, hopefully there were still some clothes of her size left in this mansion. Hell, she would wear one of Becky's maid costumes if she had to. But first she had to find whoever had been teasing her throughout her visit in this garden.

Eventually her chase ended when she reached the end of the path. It had lead her right to the largest tree she had ever seen in her entire life. It was so huge that the very top was pressing against the surface of the invisible dome. It became perfectly clear that winter hadn't affected life in this lush garden for one bit. No empty branches or brown leafs could be seen in this tree, it sprouted nothing more but bright green, lively leafs. Fireflies, winged seahorses and butterflies seemed to be quite attracted to this place, flying around the tree in a gentle waltz, giving it a more dreamy and fairytale-like atmosphere. Sasha's eyes darted from left to right, trying her best to catch a glimpse from the mystery woman.

And then, as if she had somehow blended in with the leafs, bushes and flowers around her all along, her invisibility worn off right in front of the tree, revealing her true form. It was indeed a woman, looking slightly older than Sasha She had long brown hair, dark brown eyes and a slender figure. Green leafs delicately covered her wrists, chest, her lower body and ankles. Her bare feet were stained with fresh earth. A crown made of the same flowers Sasha had seen earlier decorated her head.

Sasha blinked her eyes in surprise. Oh my God... it was a nymph!

The nymph smiled at her, almost in an apologetic way. 'Please don't take it too harshly, it was just a prank. It's in my nature, I can't help but tease and pull a prank on someone now and then.' she said. 'My name is Brianna, but you can call me Brie. And this garden here is my home.'


	9. Birth Of Corruption

**Chapter 9**

 **Birth Of Corruption**

With a little amused smirk on her face, Brie studied Sasha from head to toe, as if she was proud of the result. It had been such a long time since she had pulled a prank on somebody, since her thoughts and energy were with someone else during that time; someone who meant the entire world for her. It was tiring, but at the end of the day, she did it with all the love and care she had, it was always worth it. And she loved every moment of it. Pulling pranks and teasing hadn't jumped into her mind for once. But when she spotted the magenta-haired visitor in her garden, a twinkle had appeared in the corner of her eye as the urge to prank made an unexpected comeback. Brie had decided to lay down her duties for a short while and go back to her old habits. Of course she wasn't planning on harming the visitor with her prank; there was nothing funny about someone getting hurt. If she hadn't spotted her eating the magic berries, she would've never made the steppingstones in the lake disappear. The nymph was more than glad to see that she was still good at pulling pranks, even after all this time.

'So, what did you think of my little prank?' she asked. 'Did you get a good laugh from it?'

'Um, no. No, I did not.' Sasha replied whilst wringing the water out of her hair, her eyes shooting daggers at her. There was absolutely nothing hilarious about this, if you asked her. Her hair had gone from well-groomed locks to soaking wet, tangled wisps, the material of her wet clothes were uncomfortably sticking against her body and her ankle boots were filled with water. No, anyone could easily guess that this prank didn't give her a good laugh and shrug it off as a well-played prank. Brie immediately noticed that and the smirk disappeared from her face.

'Oh... I guess I went a little bit too far, huh?' the nymph said. 'Sorry if this upset you. I hope with this I can make it up to you. Try to hold still, this won't last for long.'

Exactly one second after Brie clapped her hands, it felt like Sasha was trapped in a relentless storm. An immensely strong gust of wind caught her by surprise, slamming against her like a wall, but it wasn't strong enough to knock her right off her feet. It wasn't coming from one direction, no, it was like it was coming from her left and right. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she wanted to open them just for a little bit to see if there was something to grab onto in case the wind would knock her over anyway, but the powerful, ear-deafening gust made this impossible. Faint, frantic rustling of the surrounding flowers and leafs could be heard during the howling of the wind. But just as sudden as the brief storm began, it stopped just like that. Still trying to comprehend what the flying hell just happened, Sasha blinked her eyes in surprise and looked around. Despite the strength of the wind, it surprisingly looked like the flora hadn't been affected for one bit. And then there was another thing that she immediately noticed; she had been completely dried off, from the top of her head to the tips of her ankle boots.

'What? But... how? How did you do that?' she asked.

'There's nothing a little bit of nature-related magic can't fix.' Brie replied with a smile. 'How are you feeling now?'

'Well, it feels like I have been shoved into a tornado, but... at least I'm dry. So you can say that I'm doing better, thanks for that.'

'Makes me glad to hear that. Again, I'm terribly sorry if I made you upset. That's absolutely not what I wa-'

The nymph abruptly stopped speaking when crying could be heard from the branches up in the giant tree. It was the kind of crying that Sasha could easily recognize; it was the bawling of a newborn baby. A few months ago before her relationship with her current ex went to hell and she was plunged into this surreal adventure, she had visited her friend of hers who had recently given birth to a baby girl. The father of the baby wasn't there in the apartment; the poor thing was the result of a drunken one-night stand in the toilets of a bar and the guy immediately made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to be a part of her life when Sasha's friend called him in her apartment's bathroom with a positive pregnancy test in her trembling hand. Sasha had to admit, the baby was a little cutie to look at, that was until she started to bawl like there was no tomorrow. It turned out she was just hungry, but Sasha swore to God that she had never heard a baby crying this loudly. Looking up at the tree, she frowned in curiosity. What the hell was a baby doing up there? But when she looked closely, she did see something. Up in one of the highest branches of the tree, she saw a large bird's nest, protected by light purple curtains that were attached to a branch above the one where the nest was built on. Fireflies slowly danced around the nest, as if they were guarding the crying infant or perhaps trying to comfort it. A slightly worried look could be seen on Brie's face.

'Oh... hold on just a moment!' she said before she hastily climbed up the tree with the agility of a cat. She climbed across the bark and used the thick branches to lift her herself with so much ease, it was almost creepy. Her movements reminded Sasha of a spider. The nymph was completely fixated on the nest, her eyes not glancing away once whilst she was climbing. She knew exactly what branches to reach to get herself to the nest. Sasha watched as she finally reached the nest, causing the little swarm of fireflies around to scatter and fly off into different directions. Brie hunched over and lifted up a bundle wrapped in a light blue sheet, covered in tiny twigs, earth and leafs; the bundle was large enough to make one automatically assume that it was indeed a baby.

'What's the matter, honey?' Brie asked with a soft, soothing voice as she gently rocked the crying infant in her arms. 'It's okay, your mother is here. I'm back, you see? I'm sorry I had to leave you alone for a moment, but I'm here now. Sweetie, listen to my voice, open your eyes...'

The volume of the bawling suddenly lessened, until it stopped. Perking her ears, Sasha heard a little giggle coming from the sheet. Brie smiled from ear to ear as she looked at the bundle in her arms with a look in her eyes that only a loving mother could produce.

'There there, it's alright... You were just getting lonely, weren't you? But don't you worry now. Everything is fine. I have to tell you something, sweetheart... we have a guest here! Yes, a guest! Wouldn't you love to meet her? Of course you would, huh? Of course you would! And I think she would be just as glad to meet you. Be polite, okay darling? Alright, here we go, don't be scared...'

Holding her baby tightly against her, the nymph began her descend down the tree, making sure the branches wouldn't touch the infant. The infant itself would occasionally make soft cooing noises, sounding like it was excited about meeting the magenta-haired visitor. Sasha was actually afraid that Brie would accidently drop it or her losing her balance, but miraculously this didn't happen and the nymph and her baby safely found their way back to the ground. She walked towards Sasha, beaming with pride.

'This is my son. His name is Oliver.' she said before showing her the infant.

Even though little Oliver had slightly pointed ears, tiny, blunt horns growing out the sides of his head (and barely visible to see in the thick, fluffy, dark brown hair) and green leafs sprouting out of his chubby wrists, Sasha had to admit; the infant looked, strangely enough, kind of adorable in his own kind of mysterious way. Small hooves could be seen pointing through the sheet he was wrapped in. The unusual-looking baby opened his large, light blue eyes, revealing his horizontal-shaped pupils. Upon seeing the visitor, Oliver smiled broadly and cooed, trying to grab one of Sasha's magenta locks. 'Look, he likes you already!' Brie giggled.

'Oh wow...' the magenta-haired woman said with a soft voice. 'I can easily guess who the father is.' Curling her mouth into an amused smile, she let out a chuckle; oh yes, it was more than obvious who it was.

'So I suppose you have already met my husband.' Brie replied whilst wiping off a tiny speck of earth from her son's reddened cheek. 'I hope he has been polite to you... well, I don't expect him not to be. Daniel is seriously the most well-mannered man I have ever known... and the most charming one.'

'Ah, so you must be his wife then.'

'Did he tell you about me?'

'Well yeah, he told me that he has a wife.'

Brie glanced down at Oliver with a dreamy look on her face. The baby looked back at her; upon seeing his mother's face, he cooed happily. 'He's just a few months old, but I can already see so much of Daniel in our son...' the nymph said. 'And I'm not talking about his hooves, horns or eyes, but...Oliver smiles exactly the way he does. He has that same twinkle in his right eye when he's happy. I wonder if he will be just as brilliant as his father when he grows up.'

'Maybe if he visits his study all the time, he could.' Sasha chuckled at the thought of the horned baby crawling across the floor of the study, eagerly looking around for anything he could get his little, chubby hands on. Eventually he would spot a certain book between all the other books in one of the crammed bookshelves, pluck it out with a bit of effort, open it and rip a page before a word could even be read. No, maybe it would be better if little Oliver would stay up in the big tree until he was old enough to not rip up books, for Daniel's sake.

'Who knows. I hope Daniel has some reading material that's easier for him to understand.' Right on that moment, one of the multi-colored fireflies gently landed on the tip of Oliver's nose, causing him to look cross-eyed; just before he could grab the enchanted insect, it had already taken off. 'Oh, I remember the first day I met Daniel so well...' Brie said, the dreamy look on her face not ever leaving. 'It was like it only happened yesterday... The weather was just right for my flowers, I could feel how content they were. If my flowers are happy, so am I. I had been taking care of them all morning. I was about to take a well-deserved nap up in the tree when I saw him. And let's just say that I wasn't really that thrilled with what he was doing at that moment; he was plucking some of my precious flowers. So yes, of course I went down and confronted him. I guess I spooked him, his eyes, oh, those beautiful blue eyes, they were widened with surprise. He needed the petals for a potion he was working on. He immediately apologized and he offered to make it up to me. That night, he cooked a wonderful dinner for just the both of us. I will be honest with you, there have been very rare times that I have been in the mansion, because I have always felt more home in this garden. All the flora here is connected to me. If I am healthy, my plants will be healthy. And vice versa, of course. But that night in the mansion had to be the best night of my life. I have seen how polite and kind Daniel actually is. We spend time together in his study after dinner, where he told me about his favorite books and lend them to me. And after that, we had such a romantic walk through my garden. I will never forget it, for as long as I live. I feel like such a fool for thinking he was just a big bore during all the years we have lived here. Our wedding happened only five years ago, it was absolutely perfect, it was just like I had imagined it. We have tried really hard, but since a few months... I'm happy to be able to finally call myself a mother.'

Damn, what a story... and such a sweet one as well. Who knew that Daniel could be such a romantic faun? And who knew that he would actually dig chicks with leafs on their bodies and earth-stained feet? Sasha almost sniggered at that thought, but she managed to hold it back. Brie looked so happy whilst she was recalling those precious memories, she had honestly never met a girl who looked so genuinely happy when mentioning her lover. This nymph loved him so much, you could clearly see that. It looked like motherhood was such a joy to her as well. Life in this strange mansion had been nothing more but good to Brie, while for Sasha... well, it felt like nothing more but some surreal dream she wished to wake up from. The magenta-haired woman stared at Oliver, who was still trying to grab the fireflies that slowly flew over his head. Even though this place was that baby's home, love, shelter and warmth were no problem.

There was no doubt that Oliver would grow up to be a happy child... and most likely have a much better childhood than she had, Sasha bitterly realized.

'You must be pretty lucky to have a husband like Daniel.' she said, actually meaning what she said; most men these days wouldn't be as caring and kind as this guy was, let alone willing to play an active role as a good father in his son's life.

'Oh yes, I couldn't wish for anyone better. I'm just wondering what he's been doing in his study lately though, he's been spending there an awful lot of time now that I think of it...'

There's no way Sasha could possibly spill the surprise the faun had in store for her, it would ruin everything. It was odd... usually she wouldn't bother to keep her mouth shut when it came to secrets or rumors about someone (most of which were downright cruel, but those rumors were the juiciest ones according to her Sasha's friends) she knew whenever she'd gossip with her friends, so what made her change her mind this time? The magenta-haired woman couldn't quite put a finger on it. She had seen the effort he had put in the crib for the baby and it wouldn't last long before it would be finished. What was the most likely reason of why he built it was because Daniel was worrying about the fact that Oliver was bound to become more energetic as he grew and thought the best way to avoid a nasty fall from the branch was to give his son a brand-new crib that was more safe and could be placed on the ground. Ha, that clever faun.

'I... think he will tell you soon enough.' Sasha replied. 'But don't worry though, I'm pretty sure you will rea-'

Sasha abruptly stopped talking when the nymph's smile suddenly dropped from her face. As if some kind of switch had been flipped inside her, all of the blood that was stored in Brie's pretty face drained away, giving her a ghostly pale look. Her eyes widened in horror. The shallow breathing kicked in, it was like her lungs were being squeezed into airless, fleshy pancakes. Sasha could feel her stomach sinking to her feet. What... what the hell was going on here?

'Brie... hey, are you okay?' she asked, immediately mentally slapping herself on the forehead afterwards. No, of course she wasn't okay, what kind of stupid question was that? She was convinced that even Oliver could feel like there was something really wrong here, judging by how he was looking at his mother. Just on that moment, the muscles in Brie's arms gave up on her. Just like she feared for, Sasha saw her arms losing grip on Oliver, who was slipping away more and more by the second. Oh dear God, no! Knowing what was going to come next, Sasha didn't hesitate to do something before the baby would be dropped onto his head; just before Oliver could fully slip away from his mother's numbed arms, the magenta-haired woman caught him just in time, which caused the infant to let out a loud whimper. The nymph's legs were next to give up on her. Falling on her knees, Brie hunched over and clenched her fists in the grass, attempting to catch some breath, but to little avail.

'T-The plants...' she wheezed, followed by a weak groan. 'They... they a-are in agony... Something evil... is... h-hurting them!' That last word was pushed out with a loud scream. Brie fell on her side as her body started to convulse heavily, making the suffering nymph scream at the top of her lungs in unimaginable pain. Good God, she sounded like she was being gutted alive; that thought made Sasha's stomach sink to her feet even faster. While holding a now whimpering Oliver against her, she knelt down next to Brie with a genuinely worried look on her face that was slowly about to turn into a frightened look. 'Here, let me get you up!' she said, about to touch Brie's shoulder before the nymph looked at her, her face formed into a mask of pain.

'No!' she exclaimed. 'I want you take my son and... and g-get the hell out of here! I'm begging you! Make sure Oliver will live!'

Strange crunching noises made Sasha look up... and when she looked around, she realized that she had found herself in yet another dire, horrifying situation that could most likely cost her life.

It was happening right in front of her eyes. All the life that had kept these flowers and trees beautiful and vivid for God who knows how many years, was suddenly being rapidly sucked out of them. The purple and blue petals of the flowers, of which the pointed petals had given them their unique, star-shaped form, shriveled and turned pitch-black, instantly robbed of their beauty and colors. A strange, thick, black liquid oozed from their centers, producing a repulsive stench, which quickly spread over the entire garden like a mist. This is how death must smell like, this was undoubtedly the stench of death. Black, shriveled leafs landed on the earth around Sasha. The flowers weren't the only ones being affected by this sudden corruption; the large tree that had once been Brie's and Oliver's safe haven was next. The dead leafs fell off in clumps, causing the branches, which were decaying away faster and faster by each second, to grow empty and hideous. Cracks grew in the rotten bark, allowing the same black liquid that had been flowing out of the flowers to escape and fuel the horrid stench that made it almost impossible to breath. Much to Sasha's growing horror, Oliver possibly had the hardest time to breathe from the three of them, since his whimpers were growing louder, his face grew red and he was practically clawing at his nose and mouth. There was no doubt about it; he had to get the hell out of here before the helpless infant would suffocate in this horrid death stench. Same went for Brie.

'Come on, get up!' Sasha said with a hint of rising panic in her voice. 'Let me he-'

'I t-told you to run!' the nymph replied with a hoarse voice whilst doing her best to get back up her feet. Some strength had returned to the muscles in her legs, but she was trembling all over and it was obvious that she was still suffering immensely. Sasha saw the lower arms of the nymph glowing with a faint green light, which was flickering. 'Go! I... I will fight this corruption off! Please get Oliver out of here! Don't look back, don't come back for me! Now go!'

Oh my God, she was serious about this... trying to convince her to come along with them would be pointless. So this is what a mother was willing to do to make sure about her child's survival; Sasha had to admit, she was stunned about that, but that only lasted for a second or two. The strong will to run like a bat out of hell with this baby in her arms kicked in at full force. The magenta-haired woman nodded, breathlessly said 'Okay, okay...' in a soft voice, turned around and began to run as fast as her legs allowed her to. She could feel Brie's eyes glancing at her until she was out of her sight. 'Goodbye, sweetheart...' the nymph whispered with tears running down her cheeks before facing back to the growing corruption; her fight had begun.

* * *

Her lungs were burning unbearably, her heart was pounding so rapidly in her throat that she thought it was going to explode. The horrible stench was the only odor she could smell, it completely filled up her nose. Everything was rotting and shriveling around her, everywhere she could hear slimy crunching noises; it were the death screams of the dying plants, Sasha thought. But she wasn't the only one who could feel the corruption that was killing this garden that had been so dreamy and beautiful a few moments ago. Oliver was crying at the top of his little lungs, barely overlapping the sounds of rot and decay. The hysterical crying of the infant and the crunching filled every spot inside Sasha's head, where only one thought could be found.

Run, damn it, run!

Sasha felt like she was thrown into the embodiment of one of the worst nightmares possible. This garden, that was a little strange but wonderful paradise in the middle of nowhere for as long as this mansion was standing, had turned into the Devil's backyard as soon as she started speaking to Brie. Was she still alive at this point or did the decaying garden already claim its first victim? That thought made a heavy chill run up Sasha's spine. She didn't want to, but she could already imagine the nymph collapsing to the ground before her body would wither with the rest of the flora, turning her into a rotten shell with that black liquid as her blood, trickling out of her empty eye sockets and mouth. Oh God, oh Jesus, they were going to be next if they would not escape in time! Sasha hoped that Brie had enough power left to fight off the corruption that was swallowing her domain whole, not only for Oliver's sake, but for Daniel's as well. But what if that corruption had already affected the mansion as well? She would see it when she would got out of here. No, 'when'was the wrong word here... 'if' was the correct one.

She continued to run for their dear lives, holding the bawling Oliver against her and shielding him with her arms from the now hostile environment. Much to her relief, Sasha saw the lake in the distance, that meant she was almost halfway there, thank God. The magenta-haired woman had no idea what had been lurking between the rotting flowers all this time, though... and they weren't planning on making her escape easier. From the corner of her right eye, she saw a long, pale, porcelain arm emerging from the decay and reaching out for her. Sasha loudly gasp (unintentionally inhaling the foul smell in the process, much to her disgust) and managed to duck away in time before the cold fingertips could touch her arm. As if it knew that it had missed its target, the porcelain arm retreated back into the bush of rotten flowers. That was a doll's arm, Sasha realized whilst chills appeared all over her arms. Oh God, she had to run faster! But this is as fast as her legs could go, which made her fear even more for her life. But that wasn't the only arm that would attempt to grab her; the closer Sasha ran towards the lake, more arms emerged from not only the flowers, but also from the trees and the ground, as if the dolls had been buried there all this time and finally found their opportunity to grab her and drag her and Oliver into the rot. There were so many arms, countless arms, and Sasha had no time to wonder whether they all belonged to one being or not. She had to duck and jump in order to stay out of their reach and almost tripped a couple of times, but thankfully managed to stay on her feet. This had to be a result of the corruption, it had to be, they were way too terrifying to have ever belonged in this former little paradise.

Just then, something brushed past Sasha's cheek, sending a heavy chill up her spine. Her horror was fueled by tenfold when she saw what had been flying past her. It was a little swarm of cracked baby doll heads with pale, tattered butterfly wings and empty eye sockets, their open mouths filled with razor sharp teeth that reminded her of razorblades. Oh God, no, not the winged seahorses and fireflies as well... Those teeth could've easily ripped a chunk of flesh from her face, Sasha realized. But she wasn't going to let these little, vicious, flying freak shows stop her, not for one second. The winged doll heads let out a shrill screech when she approached them as if they were preparing an attack, but Sasha swatted them away with one arm and didn't look back.

Finally she reached the lake, where the stench was heavier than ever. Taking a closer look, Sasha saw that the clear water was now replaced with the black ooze, which immediately explained the reason for the stronger stench. She absolutely didn't want to know what the hell was lurking in those depths now and wanted to cross it as fast as possible. Thank God the steppingstones were still there. Oliver hadn't stopped crying for one moment while she had been running. Sasha didn't hesitate for one second and began to cross over. She made sure her feet would touch the center of each steppingstone, not planning to slip this time; the magenta-haired woman was convinced that it was going to be the end of her and Oliver as soon as she would fall into the ooze.

'Come on Sasha, just a bit more, you can do it girl...' she whispered to herself, but she could barely hear her own voice over the sound of decay and Oliver's bawling.

But just as she put her foot on a twelfth steppingstone, something cold and hard grabbed her ankle, nearly causing her to lose her balance. Sasha looked down and saw that it was porcelain hand, the grip tightening so much that it hurt her ankle. A bald doll head with empty eye sockets, allowing the ooze to spill out in little waterfalls, slowly emerged from the black liquid and despite the fact that it had no eyes, it felt like it was staring at her. More doll heads slowly emerged at the surface, filling up the entire corrupted lake. Sasha loudly screamed in horror and kicked at the doll's head.

'Get the hell away from me!' she yelled. Luck seemed to be on her side for once as the doll's head shattered after only one kick. Shards of porcelain fell in the ooze and were immediately sucked in. Sasha continued her escape, rushing over the steppingstones whilst forcing herself not to look at the doll heads, feeling their empty gazes burning into her soul. It was a miracle that she didn't slip once before reaching the other side. The magenta-haired woman's legs started to feel heavy and her entire body was trembling with nothing more but pure adrenaline, but she knew that she had to keep going if she wanted to survive. It was just a bit more, she was almost there...

Rapid clacking of hooves against a hard surface could be heard behind her, followed by a large shadow flying over Sasha and a flurry of sandy blonde fur landing right in front of her with a heavy thud. Sasha could barely believe what she was seeing now, but somehow she managed to suppress a gasp. Right in front of her stood the biggest goat she had ever seen in her entire life, with shaggy, sandy blonde fur, thick curly horns and earth-stained hooves. An unconscious Brie was lying on his back; Sasha almost wanted to sigh in relief to see that the nymph was still in one piece, but she had no idea whether she was alive, indeed unconscious, or even worse, dead. The huge goat then slightly kneeled down, which gave Sasha the opportunity to look at his eyes. And when she saw them, she immediately knew who they belonged to.

'Daniel...?' she asked with a soft voice.

Much to her surprise, the animal actually nodded. Dear God... it was him! And judging from the fact that he knelt down for her, it looked like he wanted her to climb onto his back. Sasha didn't hesitate for one second to accept that offer. Holding Oliver (who seemed to have calmed down just a bit, as if he could sense his father's presence despite his new form) with one arm and using the other to hold onto a patch of fur as she climbed up, the magenta-haired woman managed to settle on Daniel's back. As soon as she set down, he took off with a dazzling speed, forcing her to grab into his fur with one hand to make sure she wouldn't slip off. Sasha squeezed her eyes shut while still firmly holding Oliver against her body, hoping for the love of God that they could make it back inside just in time.

She only opened her eyes when she heard Daniel's hooves clacking against a wooden floor and didn't smell the repulsive, suffocating odor of rot anymore. Her heart cringed so much in relief when she saw that they were back inside the mansion, it was just painful. As soon as her feet touched the floor after she allowed herself to slip off Daniel's back, she ran towards the open backdoor that revealed the wasteland of decay and slammed it shut with a loud bang.


	10. Come Back

**Chapter 10**

 **Come Back**

Frantic rattling and clicking could be heard in Becky's mechanical arms as she attempted to soothe Oliver, who was now whimpering uncontrollably. The robotic maid gently rocked the baby in her arms and spoke to him with a soft voice, trying nothing but her best to calm him down, but to no avail. Sasha had the strong suspicion that the stress only added more rust to the gears inside Becky's body, which could've explained the loud clicks and rattling that was now filling the bedroom.

'Forgive my language lass, but it's a bloody miracle ya got out of that mess alive and in one piece.' Becky said whilst carefully patting the fussing infant on his back. 'I was convinced that ya were all goin' to die out there. If it wasn't for Daniel to sense that there's was something with his wife... God, I don't want to think about what would've happened to ya and wee Oliver here.'

'Yeah... me too.' Sasha replied. She clenched her fists to control the trembling that was still there. Never in her entire life she had to run this fast, and it was all so that she could live to see the morning... but honestly, it felt like she had survived one of the many death traps that were still awaiting her for the rest of her forced stay. It was such a relief to see that the mansion itself was unaffected by the corruption that was still growing in the garden like a hideous, poisonous oil stain; for once she was glad to be back between these old wallpaper-covered walls again. After she had slammed the backdoor shut, she refused to look behind her because she was convinced that the first thing she was going to see was the porcelain face of one of the terrifying dolls in the lake, who had somehow crawled its way out of there and up to the backdoor, with thick black liquid flowing out of its empty eye sockets and leaving a dripping handprint on the glass. That mental image was so clear that it turned the magenta-haired woman's skin ice cold and made her hands tremble even more, she had to do her best to push that image out of her mind. A sudden flash of bright green light made her squeeze her eyes shut, it was so bright that it almost blinded her. When she opened her eyes again, she saw that Daniel had reverted back into his faun form... but it seemed like all of his focus was aimed at only one person at that crucial moment. He didn't waste any time. 'Take Oliver with you and follow me.' he said with a hoarse voice as he lifted up his unconscious wife in his arms and ran up the stairs with a look on his face that could only be described with one word; distress. Complete distress. Sasha didn't have to be asked twice about that. As she ran up the stairs, the door of the dining room opened and Becky hastily stormed out with a barrage of worried questions, all of them centered around their well-being, only for her to be interrupted by her own clumsiness; the robotic maid tripped over her own feet and fell face-first on the floor before she could've reached the stairs.

Now in the safety of Daniel's bedroom which was large enough for a Victorian-styled queen bed with light yellow sheets which smelled of lavender and had an elegant flower pattern, two large bookcases crammed with books (oh yes, this was the faun's bedroom alright) and a wardrobe which contained neatly folded clothes, and offered a view on the garden that must've been charming and beautiful to look at in the past, the residents of the mansion and Sasha finally were able to catch some breath. Paintings depicting lush nature decorated the forest green wallpaper. Right when his father carefully laid Brie down on the bed, Oliver suddenly started crying at the top of his lungs and kicking with his little hooves, as if he was trying to break free from the blanket that was wrapped around him. It was like the baby knew that there was something terribly wrong with his mother... and that thought broke Sasha's heart. The magenta-haired woman did try to soothe him, but when her attempt was proved to be futile, Becky decided to try it herself. Thankfully Oliver calmed down a bit after a little while, but his chubby cheeks were stained with tears and more were about to roll down.

Sasha really didn't want to look through the window, too afraid of what she would see if she did so. That rotting stench she had smelled earlier had found a way through her nose to the back of her head, were it settled down and would stay there for as long as the magenta-haired woman would live, she swore to God that she could still smell it even there wasn't a trace of corruption in the mansion. She looked at Daniel, who had propped Brie up against the headboard of the bed, slightly opened her mouth and carefully allowed a light green liquid from a bottle to flow in. The nymph seemed to have regained a little bit of consciousness, because Sasha could clearly see her closing her mouth and swallowing down the potion. However, it was clear that her health had suffered since the corruption of the garden; she looked so sickly pale in the light the old lamp on the nightstand produced and her breathing had grown shallow. Putting a cork on the bottle, Daniel kneeled down next to the bed and while he stared at Brie, he let out a trembling sigh. Sasha walked towards him and knelt down next to him.

'How is she doing, Daniel?' she asked.

The faun shook his head. 'She's in bad shape.' he said with a soft voice. 'The garden has been tainted and it is taking her health along with it. The potion I gave her may improve it a bit, but it's not much. Damn it, I could've made more if only the flowers in the garden hadn't been corrupted...' Daniel groaned in frustration and clenched his fist in his hair, trying his best to fight back his tears by rapidly blinking his eyes. 'Sasha... you have no idea how much Brie has completed me during the past five years. No, she hasn't completed only me, we have completed each other. Fauna and flora, going hand in hand, like it always has been. Brie is everything I have ever wished for and I could only see that five years ago... what a fool I have been to be so blind the entire time before that. I have been so blessed to marry her and start a family with her... Oh God, Sasha, I can't lose her now!'

'Daniel, listen to me...' Sasha almost wanted to lay a hand on his shoulder, but her hand suddenly froze in mid-air. She had no idea whether the faun wanted to be touched at this moment, chances were that he would snap at her for that. The magenta-haired woman decided to lower her hand. 'You are not going to lose her! There has to be a way to restore the garden. I'm ain't gonna lie, I have seen how freaking smart you are. We can figure this out. If we can find out how to do it, her health will go back to normal, right?'

Daniel nodded. 'Yes, you're right about that... but I've never seen anything like this before. Whatever has ruined the garden was nothing more but pure evil. It was death incarnate.' He turned his head to look at Sasha, his eyes still glistening with tears. 'I haven't told you this earlier, but... thank you so much for saving Oliver, Sasha. If you hadn't been there, then... then... My God, why would Dolores do this?'

'What do you mean?' Sasha asked, furrowing her brows.

'Aye, the lass is askin' the right question here.' Becky said while she was still gently patting Oliver, whose whimpering had now thankfully changed into soft cooing, on his back; perhaps it was the clicking and rattling that caught his attention and soothed him, since he was now carefully touching the robotic maid's arms. 'What are ya talkin' about, Daniel? This mansion is her home, our home!'

'The corruption couldn't have appeared all by itself.' Daniel said. 'Everything that exists here is because of the power of her imagination. There's only one logical explanation for this. She must've brought this corruption to life by imagining every detail of it. That's how it works. But still... why? What could be the reason for all this? Why... would she want to hurt Brie and Oliver? He's just a baby, for heaven's sake. After all the years we have spend together... I don't understand!'

'Wait a second now, this doesn't feel right to me.' Something in the pits of Sasha's stomach was telling her that none of this was making sense somehow. There was something that seemed off, big time. At first she didn't know why, but now it looked like it was falling into place. 'Look around you, guys. Why would she destroy something she has put so much effort into? I mean, I have seen how the place looks like, it's crazy! That garden out there was absolutely stunning, yes, I even admit that. And it's like Becky said, this place is her home. I don't know why, but... something tells me that Dolores isn't behind this.'

'Well, then who is?' Becky asked.

'I have no clue, but the answer might be out there. I want to look for Dolores, I'm pretty sure she might have it. Do you have any idea where she could be?'

'Um... honestly, no.' Daniel replied, glancing at Brie and gently squeezing her hand. The nymph softly groaned as a response before falling silent, that is if you would count out her shallow breathing.

'I see. But I'm going to find her, one way or another, she has got to be here.'

'Aye. I will take care of this wee lad, I'm pretty certain he's goin' to be safe in this room. Daniel already got a lot on his hands.' Becky said.

The first thought that instantly jumped into Sasha's mind was to call out the robotic maid for being too much of a coward to help her searching for that little white-haired girl, but she kind of regretted thinking that afterwards. After all, Becky did make a good point here, she quickly realized. Daniel had enough to worry about, right now at this moment he had to find a way to keep his practically comatose wife alive to see another day of their marriage and family life, a crying baby wasn't going to make anything easier for him. No, Becky was right, it's better for her to stay here and look after Oliver. And who knows what other dangers Sasha herself might run into during her search, poor Daniel would go insane with grief if something would happen to his son. And the only person she could blame then was herself for dragging him along with her...

The magenta-haired woman nodded. 'Okay then. I'll be off. You can do it, Daniel, believe me.'

'Thank you, Sasha. And please... be careful.'

'Don't worry about me, I'll run like hell if something happens. See you guys later.'

After she had exited the bedroom and closed the door behind her, the magenta-haired woman suddenly realized that she had no idea that she could actually run that damn fast. Maybe it was because due to the fact that she actually had to run for her life quite some times in her past... and she didn't always make it to safety. Cold chills ran over Sasha's spine as she shook off that thought. This wasn't the right time to think about those events, damn it. She had to find Dolores. But as she stared at the dark corridor and the stairs that would lead her to the main hallway, a good question crossed her mind.

'Where the hell do I start?' Sasha mumbled to herself.

There was nobody out there to answer that question, there was only silence. In fact, it was so silent that Sasha was actually expected one of the dolls from the corrupted lake would leap out of the shadows, black liquid oozing out of its eye sockets and filling her nose once more with the stench of decay whilst it strangled her to death with its cold, porcelain hands. Was that rotten odor going to be last thing she would smell before she'd die in this mansion. Sasha tightly clenched her fists and concentrated on her breathing, afraid she would hyperventilate. Damn it, she shouldn't be thinking like this! No way was she ever going to allow those dolls or another corrupted creature for that matter to put its hands on her, not anymore! She made a solid promise to kick all of their asses if they dared to do so. She was Sasha Banks and she wasn't going to let anyone trying to hurt her anymore, end of story.

Now that she had regained the confidence she had been keeping her strong through these past years, Sasha took a deep breath, slowly breathed out and began her descend down the stairs. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling that she could perhaps find Dolores downstairs. Her guess was the dining room. Hopefully Dolores would be sitting at the dinner table with a cup of hot tea and a slice of chocolate cake, her legs barely touching the floor as she playfully moved them up and down like any child would do and Sasha was convinced that she would offer to share the chocolate cake with her. Which made her think... did this child ever sleep? The magenta-haired woman had no idea what time it was, but she had the feeling that it must've been past midnight already. And then again, how could she go to bed and fall asleep with ridiculous ease while she knew damn well that a giant doll was out for her blood? No, that stuff would keep you wide awake for sure.

And just when Sasha reached the bottom of the staircase, something caught her eye. A thin ray of light could be seen crossing the dark floor, revealing parts of the deep scratches Charlotte had left as a product of her escape. The magenta-haired woman looked up and saw where the light was coming from. It was coming from a narrow doorway, a few steps west from the door of the dining room. Sasha slightly frowned in curiosity, the plan of finding Dolores at the dining table wandering off her mind before she unknowingly fully abandoning that thought. Whatever that door would lead her to, there was a big chance that Dolores could be there. Sasha decided to go for it. She opened her mouth and was about to call out the little white-haired girl's name, but immediately shut it when she suddenly realized that this could draw unwanted attention. She followed the ray of light, for some reason convinced that as long as she would stay in the thin light, she would be safe from whatever had crawled out of the garden and was now silently watching her in the shadows. If this was true, she would surely be safe inside the room... right?

The light grew immensely and spread across almost the entire floor (revealing more hideous scratches in the process) when Sasha opened the door and stepped inside the room. Laying her eyes upon her surroundings, the magenta-haired woman quickly realized that she had discovered yet another unexplored area of the enchanted mansion. It was the living room. A lit fireplace was the source of the light, producing a gentle warmth and shining on the pale brown wallpaper. The windows offered a view to the snowy woods outside, which the corruption thankfully hadn't reached to. The wild flurry of snowflakes had continued to fall non-stop, which made Sasha worry if sunshine would be enough to melt the snow away in the morning. Three dark red, leather couches and a wooden coffee table were placed on top of a light blue carpet. An old gramophone player and paintings depicting bouquets of flowers and bowls of fruit completed the inviting atmosphere that lingered in this living room, but much to Sasha's disappointment, Dolores wasn't here. The magenta-haired woman let out a sigh; maybe she would indeed be in the dining room then.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Sasha was about to walk away before this sound caught her attention. It clearly sounded like water dripping onto the floor, it was coming from her right. She turned her head and took a few steps to the source of the sound. The corruption must've reached the mansion, oh dear God, she was expecting to find black liquid on the floor. Sasha swore that as soon as she would see a small black puddle on the floor, she would run like a bat out of Hell and warn the rest. She looked down at the floor. A small pool of liquid had formed on the wood, but even though it thankfully wasn't the color she had expected... it was something just as chilling. The liquid was red. And the drops were coming from the ceiling. Sasha really didn't want to look up, but she had to.

What she saw on the ceiling made her eyes immediately widen with pure horror and she had to cover her mouth to hold back a scream.

It turned out that Dolores was here after all. The little girl was firmly pinned against the ceiling like a butterfly in a dusty glass frame. Blood was dripping from her nose, staining her nostrils and area above her upper lip. Her eyes were rolled in the back of her skull and her mouth hung open, frozen in a silent scream. Upon taking a closer look, Sasha saw that pale, porcelain hands had firmly grabbed her wrists and ankles, suspending her from the ceiling. Then, as if they somehow knew Sasha had seen them, the hands suddenly let go of Dolores before retreated back into the ceiling, instantly dropping her like a ragdoll. If Sasha hadn't been there at that exact moment, a painful landing would've been unavoidable; the magenta-haired woman managed to catch the little girl just in time before she could touch the floor.

'Oh Christ... Dolores!' she whispered, rapidly patting her on the cheek. Instead of her eyes rolling back into place like she hoped to, Dolores instead closed them. Sasha had no idea whether that was a good or bad sign, but at least it showed that she was still alive. 'Come on, wake up! Stay with me, okay? Dolores, can you hear me? Dolores!'

The magenta-haired woman's heart cringed in relief when she saw her mouth slowly closing up, still giving time for a shuddering groan to escape her lips. Dolores' eyelids parted, revealing that her eyes had rolled back into their place, thank goodness.

'Sa...sha...?' the little girl murmured. 'Wha... What... Can you please put me... down?'

Hoping that she had enough strength to stand on her own feet, Sasha complied, planning to catch her again as soon as this assumption would be proven wrong. Much to her surprise, Dolores indeed seemed to be able to stand up, despite a bit of wobbliness in her legs. The white-haired girl glanced at Sasha for a moment, then to the open door. In the light of the fireplace, Sasha noticed how drowsy her eyes looked. Did she even have any idea where she was? What the hell happened to her?

'I... I have to find Charlotte...' Dolores mumbled while slowly walking away. 'I'm sorry...' She waddled into the direction of the door, but a heavy headache suddenly made her head feel like it was about to explode. Sasha saw the pain on her face. Her eyes instantly slammed shut as she touched her forehead, wandering off her path in the process. Still walking, Dolores was so disorientated that she had no idea that she was walking right towards a large mirror in the corner of the living room. That's when it happened; Sasha saw her tripping over her own feet and she was falling towards the mirror. The gruesome mental image of Dolores' body shattering the glass, cutting open her skin on different places before dropping to the ground and lie there in a pool of her own blood turned Sasha's body cold. She had to do something, fast.

'Dolores!' she shouted whilst she quickly ran towards her, reaching out with her hand to grab a hold of her collar. In a split second, she saw the reflection of Dolores in the mirror... and she could swear to God that her reflection's hair was red. Just before her fingertips could touch the fabric of her collar, Dolores' body had already touched the fragile mirror. Sasha expected another gruesome sight to unfold right in front of her eyes... but the mirror didn't shatter. It was like Dolores fell into water. Her body went through the mirror without breaking it, not even leaving a scratch on her. And just like that... she had disappeared.

Sasha widened her eyes in shock. 'What...?' How was this possible? She wanted to know this so badly, but there was no time to wonder about that. Without thinking about what could possibly be waiting for her on the other side of the mirror, Sasha closed her eyes, took a deep breath and leapt after the little girl.

All the sound around her was cut off in an instant, as if an invisible button that would mute everything had been pressed. Sasha could feel her body falling onto a hard floor, causing a sharp pain to travel through her arm. Whilst still keeping her eyes closed, the magenta-haired woman dearly hoped that it wasn't broken. Suddenly a shrill ringing broke through the silence; it was a sound that Sasha could clearly recognize... and one that brought back so many bad memories.

It was a school bell.

Letting out an inaudible gasp, Sasha opened her eyes and the first thing she saw was that she was lying on a freshly-mopped, white-tiled floor, the smell of bleach drifting into her nose. The magenta-haired woman supported herself on her arms and managed to get back up on her feet. When she looked around this new environment, her worst fear had become a reality. It was like exactly how she remembered it. The red heart that was crudely drawn near one of the mirrors above the sinks. The white-tiled walls. The dent in one of the bathroom stall's door. Sasha's heart sank to her stomach whilst her legs began to feel numb.

This was the girl's bathroom of her high school; this is where the bullies would usually corner her and beat the living hell out of her.

Oh God, no, dear God in Heaven, she had to get out of here! Trying the drive away the sickening heavy feeling in her legs, Sasha was about to run to the door when three teenage girls appeared in front of her in the blink of an eye. The magenta-haired woman shrieked, nearly losing her balance but miraculously managing to stay on her feet. Her heart traveled up her throat, were it settled down and began to pound like a jackhammer. Much to her horror, she could perfectly recognize each girl. All of them were part of the school's cheerleading team, they were the most popular girls of the school. They were clad in their navy blue and white cheerleading outfits, their tops displaying the logo of their team's mascot; a snarling bobcat with yellow eyes. But there was only two things that was different about them, but that didn't make them any less threatening and more horrifying; their eyes and teeth had been replaced with mirror shards. The girls grinned from ear to ear as they stared at Sasha, who felt like she was growing smaller and smaller by the second. Blood emerged from their gums and trickled down the mirror shards, but they didn't seem to be in pain at all.

'Look who it is, girls!' one of the cheerleaders, a girl with short black hair, said with a singsong voice. 'It's that little rat-faced poor girl!'

'Didn't we tell you to stay out of our sight?' another girl said. Her red hair was tied in a ponytail. 'I bet you didn't listen, did you, you disgusting brat?'

'No, of course she didn't!' the third cheerleader, a girl with long blonde hair, exclaimed. 'She's too stupid to listen! I think she needs to be taught a little lesson. What should we do with her, girls? Tear those ugly, cheap clothes up so that her lazy cow of a mom has to stitch it again? Bet she has nothing better to do anyway, unless she can't even afford a needle and thread. Or should we rough her up a little bit?'

'How about both?' the ponytailed girl said, her grin only growing wider.

'Sounds great!' the blonde girl (obviously the leader of the three) gleefully chuckled whilst clapping her hands. 'Let's do it!'

They were going to do all of that, Sasha knew. And chances were that they were going to dunk a piece of clothing of hers in the toilet after they were done with her, just to rub in the humiliation. Nobody who was going to enter the bathroom and stop them, nobody who was going to help her. It had always been like that. Not a single person cared about her, because she was nothing, less than nothing. Once again, she was Sasha Banks, the laughing stock of McMahon High. The only person who could save her was herself, she knew that damn well. Part of the corruption or not... she wasn't going to let those bullies hurt her anymore. She had to get the hell out of here, right now!

'No!' Sasha shouted with a trembling voice at the top of her lungs. Regaining the strength in her limbs, she pushed the blonde cheerleader aside and ran towards the door, forced to listen to the mocking laughter that filled up the bathroom. Running through this door was the only possibility to escape reliving all of this. The magenta-haired woman swung open the door and ran away, expecting to enter one of the many hallways of McMahon High.

But the madness was far from over for Sasha. It all began to feel like she had stepped out of a surreal nightmare by leaping through that damn mirror and entered right into another one. Instead of a hallway packed with peers who were ready to laugh at her, she ended up in another room that she knew all too well. The door behind her slammed shut, abruptly cutting off the laughter of the cheerleaders. The magenta-haired woman's throat instantly ran dry when her eyes darted from left to right, observing the room she had wished to never enter again during these past years. There was a moldy smell in the air, evidence that fresh air hadn't been let in here for a long time. The dusty TV that was placed in the back of the room obviously had been purchased from a thrift shop a long time ago. The leather material of the couch near the TV had thinned up on some places and lost its shine. A simple, mint green, empty vase was put on top of the coffee table. A large table lamp next to the TV showed a ragged tear in the lampshade. Looking to her left, Sasha saw an old cabinet with another mint green vase on top that was placed against the wall. A mirror was placed above it. Oh yes, Sasha knew exactly where she was... this was the living room of the house where she lived in when she was a little girl.

'Why, Sasha?'

That familiar, saddened, female voice turned the magenta-haired woman's blood as cold as ice. Looking to her right, she saw exactly what she had feared for. A man and a woman in their mid-forties were standing next to her, just a few steps away; and just like the cheerleaders in the bathroom, their eyes and teeth were replaced with mirror shards. Not only did they look absolutely terrifying, there was also this unmistaken hint of sadness around them. The blood that trickled down their cheeks reminded Sasha's of tears. Yet again, she had to hold back another horrified scream.

Those two people over there were her parents.

'Why do you want to leave, Sasha?' her father asked. 'Baby girl, what have we done to deserve this?'

'Is it because we never could buy you the clothes and stuff you wanted?' her mother sobbed. 'Is that what it is? Is it because of that? We're so sorry, honey! We can look for a way to afford them, but please, I'm begging you, stay here! Stay with us, Sasha! Please don't leave! We love you!'

Sasha wanted to run, scream, shove them away, she wanted to do so many things to keep them away from her, but she couldn't do anything. Her entire body was paralyzed, it felt like her legs had fused with the sticky floor underneath her ankle boots. The desperate wailing of her parents filled up her head as they got closer and closer to her. They got so close to her that she could see her own, terrified reflection in their 'eyes' and 'teeth'.

'Sasha! Are you there?' another familiar voice called out. Dolores! Turning her head, Sasha saw that the voice was coming from the mirror above the old cabinet. 'Listen to me! You can escape through a mirror! You have to find one, fast! Run before you might get hurt!'

The magenta-haired woman didn't have to think twice about that. For one last time, she managed to regain the strength in her legs to make another run. She ran towards the cabinet and knocked off the vase, causing it to shatter into pieces on the floor. She climbed on top of the cabinet, not entirely sure if it could support her weight, but there wasn't any time to wonder about that. Holding her breath and closing her eyes, Sasha hoped from the bottom of her heart that Dolores' voice had not been an illusion.

The wailing of her parents was immediately cut off when she traveled once more through the mirror; less than two seconds later, she could feel her body touching a wooden floor. The first sound what followed was a lot more soothing; the soft popping of a lit fireplace, which brought along a gentle warmth. Sasha carefully opened her eyes. Upon seeing where she had ended up this time, she let out a trembling sigh of relief. She was back in the mansion's living room. Dolores was standing in front of her, but as soon as Sasha glanced up at her, she kneeled down with a worried look on her face.

'Oh thank goodness, Sasha!' the little girl exclaimed, laying a hand on her shoulder. 'Are you alright? You look awfully pale...'

Despite the fact that she was shaken up to the core, her heart was pounding like crazy and her throat fell as dry as a desert, Sasha gulped and nodded. 'Y-Yeah...' she replied. 'I'm... I'm fine, thanks.'

'Do you mean it? Do you want to sit down in the dining room and have some tea?'

'No, no, no... it's okay. Really. I'm alright, Dolores.'

'I see... But Sasha, can I ask you something?'

'S-Sure...'

'Do you perhaps have any idea what has happened? You see... my memory is missing quite a big piece. I only remember hearing Charlotte's voice in the living room and going in there... and I'm afraid that's all of it. Can you tell me what happened, Sasha?'

So she wasn't the only one with important questions... but her answer was going to be everything but pretty. The magenta-haired woman nodded. 'Yeah, but I've got to show it to you, though. Come with me.'


	11. Getting To Know You

**Chapter 11**

 **Getting To Know You**

With her big brown eyes widened in a mix of shock and disbelief and her hand (which showed a thin smear of blood near her thumb) covering her mouth, Dolores stared at what had once been the most pleasant and beautiful garden in existence, which was now nothing more but a horrific wasteland coming right out of some nightmare. It had only grown worse after Sasha, Oliver, Brie and Daniel had narrowly made their escape. Everywhere Sasha and Dolores looked from behind the glass of the backdoor, they saw the black, thick liquid covering every spot, making it impossible to catch a glimpse of the grass or at least an untouched flower petal. Like a horrendous disease, the corruption had now spread through the entire garden, having effectively killed everything within its reach and turning it into the perfect domain for those twisted doll creatures to roam free. Sasha was ready to pull Dolores away as soon as one of the dolls would leap at the backdoor, but thankfully an attempted attack didn't happen. Looking at the little girl's face, the magenta-haired woman actually felt bad for a moment for showing her this, but it was the only way to fill up that gap in her memory. A thin, barely visible smear of blood could be seen on her nostrils upon closer inspection; combining this with the blood on her hand, it became obvious that Dolores had wiped away the blood from her nose shortly after Sasha had made an unwilling trip down memory lane thanks to that damn mirror. Sasha had tried her best to hide her trembling hands when she guided Dolores to the backdoor. She could actually still hardly believe what she had seen a few moments ago... and she dearly hoped she would forget all about it and leave it behind her once more after she would get out of this insane mansion.

'My dear God...' Dolores said with a soft voice, her sight not breaking away from the decayed garden for a second. 'What happened here? Look at all this... this... chaos!'

'I haven't gotten the slightest clue, Dolores.' Sasha replied. 'That's why I searched for you in the first place. Since Daniel had told me how things are created and brought to life around here, well... I thought you might had some answers.'

'I truly wish I had those, but...' The white-haired girl frowned and stared at the tips of her shoes, as if she was trying hard to dig up whatever piece of memory, no matter how brief it would be, could give her a clue to the answers she and Sasha were now both looking for. 'I'm afraid I don't have anything. I'm frightfully sorry.'

'Well, what can you remember? You know, before those doll hands grabbed you.'

Letting out a little gasp, Dolores suddenly turned her head and looked at the magenta-haired woman, rapidly blinking her eyes in surprise. 'Now that you mention it... I... I do remember something now, Sasha! Y-Yes, it's coming back to me! I... I was about to enter the dining room when I heard Charlotte calling out my name in the living room. I was convinced that she was there. My legs felt so heavy with fright, but I knew I had to face her. After all these years... it had to happen. It had been too long. Charlotte's rage is my responsibility and my responsibility alone. When I entered the living room, I expected to see her there, but she wasn't. I wanted to walk away to continue my search, but something cold and hard grabbed my ankles and wrists. It were those hands. Sasha, they were so cold, I almost thought those hands belonged to the dead. I tried to fight back, I really did, but those hands were like iron. I was pulled to the ceiling and... that's when everything went dark. Only when I was lying in your arms, I woke up.'

Damn it. It looked like this wasn't going anywhere. Sasha almost wanted to groan in frustration, but somewhere deep inside she knew that Dolores didn't lose a big chunk of her memory on purpose to make her search for the reason of why the entire garden went to hell more difficult than it already was. She had no idea whether those eerie dolls had somehow found their way into the mansion, but she felt like there was something, no, someone much bigger behind this. She had seen the hands that had restrained Dolores and she had seen the hand of the doll that had tried to pull her into the corrupted lake. Those hands that had pinned the white-haired girl against the ceiling like a helpless bug were large enough to cover almost half of her lower arms and shins, the one from the doll in the lake was just big enough to clench around her ankle. No, whoever had grabbed Dolores in the living room wasn't your average creepy, living doll; there could be only one doll who would be monstrously big enough to be behind this and the magenta-haired woman knew exactly who.

'Brie and Oliver... where are they? Are they unharmed?' Dolores asked with a clear hint of worry in her voice.

'They're here, they got out.' Sasha replied. 'But as far as 'unharmed' goes... let's just say that Brie looks like hell. Daniel is with her, though. He gave her a potion that has to slightly improve her health for a while, I just hope it will last long enough.' Truth was, the magenta-haired woman had no idea for how long the potion would last and she was pretty sure Daniel didn't exactly know either; but she did have faith in Daniel, she knew he was one smart faun, he could find a way to prolong the effect of the potion... right?

She had hoped that these words would put Dolores more at ease, but it honestly didn't seem like they actually did. The white-haired girl stared at the ruined garden with a pensive look on her face, not saying a word for a while. Then she closed her eyes and slightly frowned, as if she was... concentrating on something. But what? Another silent moment passed and Sasha could see Dolores' face expressing growing frustration. Suddenly the little girl groaned and opened her eyes. When she turned her head to look at Sasha, she noticed that her eyes had something sad.

'I'm trying to undo the ugliness that has tainted the garden so that Brie will be healthy again, but... I can't do it.'

'Huh? What do you mean by that?'

'I'm trying to imagine the garden in its original state, but every time I try to think of a detail, there is this horrible sting in my head that prevents me of restoring the damage. Just by thinking of a clean petal makes my head feel likes it's bursting. No matter how hard I try to ignore it, the pain keeps getting worse. Like something inside my head is blocking out my powers…' Dolores glanced back at the garden. 'This is all my fault, Sasha. This has to be my fault. This corruption could've only been created because of me imagining it. But I can't even remember creating this! I would never do this, not in a million years, but still… I have imagined this corruption anyway. My goodness… Brie has fallen ill because of me!'

'You know what I think, Dolores?' Sasha slightly bent her knees, lowering herself to the little girl's level. 'I don't believe that it was you who did this.'

'B-But that can't be…' Dolores replied. 'Only I have the powers to create everything in this mansion. Nobody else here does!'

'That's not what I meant.' The pieces of the puzzle had fallen perfectly into place for Sasha. Yes, from the beginning she was convinced that for some reason, Dolores wasn't behind the tragic death of the garden and Brie's deteriorating health. And the little white-haired girl's reaction was genuine, she had a hard time believing that she was faking it. Sasha had met enough people throughout the years after high school to know when somebody was talking bullcrap (unfortunately that kind of people happened to be most of her 'friends'), it was this very reaction that sealed Dolores' innocence. 'Look… like I said, I don't think it was you. At all. You said that you heard Charlotte calling out your name in the living room, yeah? I'm convinced that she had lured you in there for a reason. Those hands that were holding you were large enough to be hers, Dolores, and I have seen her with my own eyes. And I think she somehow influenced you to imagine whatever has destroyed the garden. Charlotte was controlling you, Dolores. It wasn't you, it was her.'

The white-haired girl blinked her eyes in surprise, as if these words hadn't fully sunk into her yet to rid the guilt. 'You… really think that?' she asked with a soft voice.

Sasha nodded. 'Yeah.'

'But I know she's so mad with me… why didn't she hurt me while she had the chance? This doesn't make sense to me…'

But before Sasha could answer that question, Dolores shook her head. 'Oh, what are we still doing here?' she groaned. 'Forgive me for saying this, but I feel like I'm wasting precious time. I have to go, I have to find the gear! Please, look after Brie and Oliver with Daniel.'

Without waiting for a reply, the little girl hastily turned around and was about to run off when a hand grabbed her by her arm. Looking over her shoulder, she saw that it was Sasha. The thought of yanking her arm out of her grip instantly disappeared when she saw the look on the magenta-haired woman's face; it was a look of sheer determination.

'Hey now, you listen here, missy.' Sasha spoke with the right tone in her voice to make Dolores know that she wasn't playing around. 'Do you seriously think I let you run off to find some damn gear all on your own while that giant freak show is still on the loose? Have you already forgotten what has happened to you just a few moments ago? You could've been killed in there for all that matters! And who knows what Charlotte could do to you next when she tricks you again! You can't do this alone, I'm sorry for saying this, but you just can't. It's way too dangerous for you, don't you see that? And you can say that Charlotte is your responsibility as much as you want to, I'm still not letting you go out there and get hurt by her. Look, I want to lock her back up as much as you do. I want to make it until dawn alive so that I can get out of here and go home! If you want to search for that gear that badly, I will help you. And I won't let Charlotte harm you, she has to deal with me first.'

'But… Sasha…' Dolores said.

'No buts, Dolores. It's not safe for you, end of story. I will go with you. Trust me, if I can fight off a whole group of trashy girls who think they're invincible after two drinks in the club, then I can fight off a giant doll as well.' Even though Sasha briefly chuckled (but it didn't really sound like a happy one) at the end of that sentence, she wasn't entirely sure if she should be talking that big. Slapping, kicking and pulling the hair of five of those ratchet trash bags until their extensions came out was one thing, but would she manage to do the same to Charlotte before she would crush her with her hand like a bug? Big chance, but she didn't want to think about it.

Dolores silently glanced at the ground, unsure of what she should do. Her eyebrows curved into an indecisive frown. It was clear that she would forever regret Sasha being hurt by bringing her alone on her frightening quest if things would go to hell, but somewhere deep inside her, a voice must've told her that it would be better if someone would come along with; it did bring along a good sense of safety... something she hadn't felt from the moment Charlotte had escaped, but she hadn't minded that up until now. The white-haired girl hated to admit and was even a bit ashamed of it, but... Sasha did make a good point. She looked up at magenta-haired woman and nodded.

'Very well then.' she said with a soft voice.

* * *

As they slowly walked through the east corridor of the mansion after they had searched thoroughly through Daniel's study in the hope of finding the gear but with no avail, Sasha began to understand how Dolores must've felt like during this whole time. No matter how hard she tried to shake it off, she constantly had the feeling that a huge pair of soulless doll eyes were staring at them from behind the walls instead of dozens of beady eyes. If she had to be honest, it would be so soothing if they would encounter a group of those shapeless shadows right now, just so she could get rid of that horrid feeling that was pooling in the pits of her stomach. But what if those shadows had left already? Would they all rather jump in Kane's boiler than stay here with Charlotte on the loose? Sasha wouldn't blame, honestly. She wanted to get the hell out of here as soon as possible as well, but to jump into those torturously hot flames and burn to death in order to get away from the madness here? No, absolutely no freaking that was going to happen. She wanted to get out of this mansion alive, she wanted to live long enough to see the sun rise and melt the snow that blocked the front door. Then there was another important, but without a doubt haunting question: would Charlotte also still be alive by the time dawn would arrive?

Paranoia wasn't the only thing Sasha was feeling right now. The second emotion would be frustration, another thing Dolores must've been feeling while searching for that gear. While they searched through Daniel's study, she had expected to lay her eyes upon the gear each time she removed a book from the bookshelf or shoved a bottle aside in the potion cabinet, she had even lifted the seat of the leather armchair and rummaged through the burned wood in the now cold fireplace (the white, chipped wood immediately fell apart as soon as she touched them and allowed a few tiny cinders to escape, all of which narrowly missed the skin on her ash-stained hand), but she didn't find anything. The magenta-haired woman had hoped that Dolores would at least find it, but when she asked her how the search was coming along, the look on her face already said it all. Sasha miraculously managed to hold down a loud groan of frustration, but she could feel a headache coming up.

Where else could they look? For as far as she knew, this mansion was huge, so there would be plenty of spots to investigate. Sasha assumed that Dolores had been looking through a big part of the mansion, but if she was unable to find the gear despite this, the possibilities of where to look next were bound to grow smaller and smaller. The magenta-haired woman couldn't think of a place of where that damn gear could be, but the thought of the possibility that perhaps that thing could've been in the garden all along before it was ruined by the black ooze and the doll creatures made her slightly bite her lower lip in mild anxiety. If they couldn't find the gear anywhere inside the mansion, chances were that they were forced to go outside and had to dig through that wasteland. But would they make it out alive? That thought made her skin turn cold.

Suddenly Sasha got the feeling that another pair of eyes were locked onto her. From the corner of her left eye, this assumption was proven right. Dolores was staring at her long hair locks with a clear hint of wonder on her face, as if she was staring at something that was out of this world, but looked absolutely intriguing nonetheless. But when the little girl noticed that she had been caught, she quickly looked away, her cheeks slowly coloring red with shame. Despite everything that had happened, seeing her expression made Sasha chuckle.

'Is my hair really that interesting?' she asked.

'Uh, um... Forgive me for staring at your hair, that so quite rude of me.' Dolores replied, glancing at the floor. 'It's just that... I was curious about it. I have never seen a hair color like that in my whole life, it's so strange, but so... fascinating. How exactly did that happen? Were you born with it?'

Sasha smiled in amusement and shook her head. 'No.' she said. 'I dyed my hair to make it look like this.'

The little white-haired girl slightly tilted her head. 'You... dyed it? Why?'

'Because I like this color. It makes me stand out more and it makes me feel beautiful.'

'And will you have that color forever now?'

'Not exactly, no. My real hair color will come back again after some time, but since I want to keep this color, I will simply just reapply more hair dye and all will be good again.'

'Ah, I see... How curious.' Dolores didn't speak another word until they reached the end of the corridor, leading them back to the main hall, where they stood still. Just before Sasha wanted to ask her about where they should look next, the little girl looked back at her. 'You know, Sasha...' she said. 'Ever since you have arrived in my home, I couldn't help but wonder the whole time about how the world looks like now after such a long time. The last time I have been in the outside world feels like nothing else but a distant memory to me, like a forgettable dream. I didn't know anything about the world as it is today, I always felt like it had stayed the same, I honestly never had a real interest in it until you came here. Your hair, the clothes you were wearing... they're all something that I have never seen before. Time must have changed so much and you are the living proof of it. Now let me please ask you, Sasha... how does the world look like now?'

From the moment Sasha had set foot in the mansion, she had thought that it looked like this whole place had been frozen in time. In all the rooms and areas she had visited, from the bedrooms to the living room, she hadn't spotted one item that came close to the modern technology we have all grown accustomed to these days. Yes, the only things that came close to being 'modern' was Kane's boiler and the gramophone in the living room, but even those objects looked like they could be more than a hundred years old. Could be? No, it had to be. Everything around here seemed like they were stemming from the Victorian era, judging from the furniture, the clothing everyone here was wearing and the architecture of the mansion itself. The magenta-haired woman figured that it was time to teach Dolores about the wonders of the 21st century.

'Well, um, let's see...' she said, not entirely sure about where to begin. 'In these days, many people like to visit a place called a shopping mall. It's a place where you can find countless shops, you can buy clothes, make-up, shoes, you know, almost everything you want. No matter what you're looking for, you can almost find it in a shopping mall. We have cars that work on electricity and play music, which you can now select by simply pressing on a screen. Oh, and then there are coffee shops, which are really nice places to hang around with your friends or all by yourself. They sell all kinds of coffee there, and sometimes you can sit there and read a book while you drink your coffee. There is also this really good Italian restaurant in the city centre that I like to visit, they sell this food that is called pizza...'

'Pizza?' Dolores wrinkled her nose in minor disgust. 'That sounds like the name of a scary disease to me.'

This unintentionally remark made Sasha laugh out loud. In her mind, she could already picture it; a middle-aged doctor grimly staring through the window of his office, informing the nervous patient that he has been diagnosed with a devastating case of stage five pizza and that the poor sap only had three weeks to live. This had been the loudest Sasha had laughed ever since she was forced to spend the night in the mansion... and probably even in the time before that. The magenta-haired woman shook her head. 'No, it's not some disease, Dolores.' she said. 'It's a super delicious dish with cheese, tomato and whatever you choose. I think you would really like it if you would ever eat it, trust me.'

'I... Maybe, I guess.'

'Say, how about I show you some pictures on my cell phone? They can show you more about the world where I live in. Would you like that?'

With an enthusiastic smile on her face, the little white-haired girl nodded. 'Of course! Yes, please!'

It looked like Sasha's attempt to sound as interesting as possible had succeeded perfectly. Sasha wasn't carrying her cell phone with her and she remembered having it with her when Charlotte had attacked her, so she assumed that it was still in the pocket of her trousers upstairs... at least, she hoped so. They walked up the stairs together, heading towards the bedroom where the magenta-haired girl had brought to when she was unconscious. The magenta-haired woman never thought it would ever come to this during her forced stay, but she actually wanted to make this mysterious little girl even more excited about the modern-day world and take her away from the troubles they were all enduring now, even if it would last for a short while. When she opened the door of the bedroom, Sasha looked to her right, immediately spotting the chair in the far right corner of the room, next to the wardrobe. Her clothes were still there, thank goodness. She and Dolores walked towards the chair, where the magenta-haired woman picked up her pair of trousers and put her hand inside each pocket, hoping that her cell phone was in one of them; when she dug her hand in the left pocket, her fingers touched something hard and square-shaped. Yes! Sasha triumphantly pulled out her cell phone, but the joy was immediately dimmed when she looked at the phone's screen. She groaned in annoyance; a hideous crack had split the screen horizontally in two. That had to be the result of Charlotte's attack, no doubt about it. Sasha pressed a button on one of the sides, lighting up the cracked screen. There was only ten percent of energy left (and of course there was no signal to be found), but at least it gave her enough time to show Dolores some pictures. They sat down on the edge of the bed and Sasha's noticed the excited twinkle in the corner of the little girl's right eye.

'What a peculiar device...' Dolores said with a soft voice. 'Is this what you call a... cell phone, like you said earlier? What do you do with that?'

'Well, you can make phone calls, take pictures with it, send your friends messages... you can do a whole lot with it nowadays!'

Dolores looked at Sasha with wide eyes filled to the brink with amazement while her smile only grew wider and wider. 'So it's an actual telephone, a photographer and a mailman all in one little box? That is absolutely wonderful! How is this even possible? Not even I could've possibly imagined that!'

'You can thank the modern technology for that. Now, let me show you some pictures. I think you might like them a lot!'

Sasha pressed on the button of the app that contained all the pictures on her phone. The first kind of photos she saw were all the selfies she had ever taken, depicting her dressed in various, expensive outfits, standing in front of either the mirror of her bedroom, a bathroom of hers or that of a friend, or a dressing room in one of the many fashion stores in the mall. Now that she was looking through them, she noticed that there were more pictures of her all by herself than with friends. There were selfies of her when at one point she had dyed her hair in a gentle shade of brown and even a few of when she had her natural dark brown hair; those pictures must've been taken a couple of months before she had dyed her hair. Sasha heard Dolores softly chuckle; it was most likely that she was amused by seeing her visitor with different hair colors. After sweeping down the screen a few times, Sasha spotted some photos that were perfect to show to the little girl.

'This here is the beach.' she said, selecting the photo and showing it to Dolores. 'It's absolutely great to visit when it's hot. You can swim in the sea, relax on a towel to get a good tan and... um... when you're with friends, you can play a round of volleyball with them!' (Not that Sasha ever did that with her friends, but she thought it would be nice to add that little bit of information) The screen showed the image of a sunlit beach of a city ten kilometers away that Sasha had visited with her lousy ex in the summer, still unaware of the unexpected heartbreak that would follow in the winter and ignorant about all the girls he had been texting. When they exited a restaurant after enjoying a pleasant dinner (Sasha insisted that it was Tyler's turn to pay, which almost lead to a full-blown argument), she noticed how gorgeous the nearby beach looked with the sinking sun at the horizon; the perfect photo to upload on her social media accounts, she thought. And apparently Dolores thought the same as well. Silent, but her eyes expressing nothing more but amazement, she stared at the bright orange sun that had halfway disappearing behind the sea and the ice cream stand on the beach.

'It looks wonderful!' she exclaimed. 'Please do tell me that you have more! I want to see everything!'

'I do have more. Here, take a look.' Sasha replied with a smile. The next picture to be shown was more simplistic, but it would give Dolores another insight of the modern-day world. It was a plate of pink, green, yellow and brown macarons and a white, carton cup of fresh coffee that she ordered at a coffee shop the day after she had finally busted her ex cheating on her. (And she knew that she freaking deserved that coffee and those macarons at that moment, damn it)

'What are those?' Dolores asked. 'They do remind me of cupcakes, but they look like they are made from the berries in the garden.' The white-haired girl giggled. 'But I think they still look really tasty, though.'

'They are called macarons. You can buy them at almost every bakery and coffee shop.'

'Macarons, huh? Hmm... Do you have the recipe to make them? Maybe one day I could ask Becky to make them!' The smile she had on her face this whole time slowly formed into a flat line. 'That is... if... everyone will live long enough to see another day.'

'And they will, Dolores.' Sasha couldn't believe it, but it actually made her sad to see this little girl, who she couldn't give less than a damn about when they met in the dining room for the first time, be so saddened after being so excited about the changes of the outside world time had brought with it. But why? She cared more about getting out of here than anything else, but that thought seemed to take a backseat at that moment. The magenta-haired woman put her hand on the white-haired girl's back and gently rubbed it, trying to boost that bit of hope. 'We will find that gear, because it can't be anywhere else but in this mansion. And once we find it, we will grab Charlotte by that nasty, dry, stinking doll hair of hers and shove her back into that prison where she belongs. Together. What do you say?'

Dolores looked up and smiled at her, but even though it was a small and not very convincing one, but it was a smile nonetheless. 'Thank you, Sasha. I appreciate your concern. And now that you have mentioned the gear... there is another room that I haven't searched through yet, and it happens to be my favorite room in this whole mansion. And I would absolutely love to show it to you. Come, please follow me!' The little girl hopped off the bed, grabbed Sasha by the hand and pulled her up. She complied without saying a word. Still holding her hand, Dolores opened the door, turned right and leaded her to the end of the corridor. Sasha glanced at the girl's face and saw that the sadness had made place for growing enthusiasm, which made her glad for some reason. However, there was one question that was really nagging her right now.

'Hey, Dolores... You've said a couple of times about how long you've been in this mansion. But for how long, exactly?'

'Um... hold on, let me think.' Dolores murmured thoughtfully. 'I believe I was... um... nine years old when I arrived here, that was 121 years ago. Yes, I was nine back then. That has to be it, I remember it clearly.'

The magenta-haired woman's jaw dropped in a mix of awe and disbelief. 121 years. Did she just freaking hear that right? 121 years? She could hardly believe what this little girl just said now, those words came so nonchalantly out of her mouth, as if it was like she only came to live here just a couple of weeks ago. And how the hell was it possible for her to retain the looks of a child despite living more than a freaking century?! That had to be the most mindboggling question here. It had to be the magic, there was no other explanation for this. Nobody could possibly look like she could still be in elementary school while being more than a century old, not with all the ridiculously expensive cosmetic surgery in the whole wild world. Either it was the magic, or Sasha had been talking to a ghost this whole night, however, this theory was quickly abandoned in the magenta-haired woman's mind since she had been able to physically touch her. But as astonishing and surreal as this revelation was... it did make sense, strangely. It explained the Victorian interior that decorated this mansion, the fashion everybody was wearing and the lack of modern technology. Not only that, though; it also explained why she couldn't leave, if it was indeed the magic that kept her alive. One step outside this mansion would result into an instant death for Dolores. As soon as her shoe would touch the snow, her real age would catch up with her. Maybe for one second, you could see her as an adult woman; taller, slender, beautiful and maybe even with longer hair. But this phase would immediately disappear as she would rapidly turn into a shriveled, wrinkled, terrifying shell of a human being, with strands of thin hair sticking against her bald head and teeth falling out of her mouth like little white pebbles. In the end, all that would remain of Dolores were a pile of ashes in the cold snow... and this eerie thought made a freezing chill run up Sasha's spine. 121 years did nothing to change Dolores' youthful appearance... but it did however affect her hair color.

She somehow managed to find her voice back. 'Whoa whoa whoa... So, Dolores, let me get this straight for a second. If you were nine back in the day and you've lived here for 121 years... That makes you... 130 years old!'

The white-haired girl nodded and chuckled. 'You are correct about that! I have turned 130 years old in October, you should've seen the cake Becky had baked for me. You wouldn't believe how many candles I had to blow out.'

Both of them shared a brief laugh before they stopped at a door on their left at the far end of the corridor. With a broad smile on her face, Dolores opened the door and elegantly gestured to the magenta-haired woman to get inside. With only a tiny, easily forgettable bit in the pit of her stomach. She stepped inside the dark room, which was instantly lit up when Dolores clapped her hands, turning on the light in an instant.

Even though she was going to turn 25 years old next month, Sasha couldn't help but feel immediately amazed by what she saw around her. This room could only exist in the dreams of any child. This room with ivory white wallpaper decorating the walls and neatly cleaned floor contained the biggest collection of toys of all times. Everywhere Sasha looked, there were toys. There were dolls dressed in adorable dresses with ruffles and laces, their hair twisted into elegant curls. Plush animals, in all kinds and sizes, from teddy bears with ribbons tied around their necks, bunnies with buttons for eyes and penguins made of the softest materials, to life-sized elephants and giraffes that were so large that they almost touched the ceiling. Much to Sasha's growing amazement, she spotted a large slide, a carousel painted with warm shades of green, red, yellow, blue and a hint of gold with white horses and even a stand that had huge, spiral-shaped lollipops for 'sale'. Colorful pillows were strewn all over the floor, along with the many toys and plush animals. Various toy chests were bulging with even more toys. A gramophone could be seen in the corner on her right. The only real piece of furniture that could be found in this playroom was a large queen bed with light pink sheets, with more plush animals on top.

'Oh my God, Dolores... this is awesome!' Sasha exclaimed with a soft voice. 'Look at all this, this is crazy!'

'It's marvelous, isn't it?' Dolores smiled and nodded, her face glowing with pride. 'The best thing about being a child for 121 years is that I can forever play with toys!'

'And did you ever get bored during those years?'

'No, never.' Dolores picked up a stuffed bunny made of light pink material, smiled at it and shook her head. 'I always have had my friends around me. Daniel, Becky, Brie, Kane, Charlotte too, once in the past... they are the best friends I could ever imagine. In fact, they are much more than my friends. They are my family. They are everything to me, they are the only ones I have in my life. They're all I have.'

'And what about your parents? You do have them, right?'

The smile once again was replaced with an emotionless line; Sasha mentally slapped herself on the forehead for asking such a stupid question. Of course her parents weren't around after such a long time, Sasha, you freaking moron, she thought to herself. It was quiet in the playroom, but just for a very brief moment. Dolores looked up, the smile thankfully returning back on her face. 'I prefer to leave that one memory in the past, if you don't mind.' she said. 'But please, allow me to introduce you to some music of my time that might entertain you! I hope you will enjoy listening to it!' The little girl hastily headed to the gramophone, where she carefully put the needle on the disc. A faint rustling noise could be briefly heard, before the silence in the playroom was broken by the upbeat tune of a piano. It reminded Sasha of the soundtrack of one of those classic, black-and-white vaudeville movies that only hipsters and old people with a longing for some nostalgia would watch these days, but she had to admit, the tune was without a doubt catchy. And before she knew it, she was slightly nodding her head along with the music. Her amusement only grew when she saw Dolores twirling around and occasionally moving her hips; it became quite clear that this was her favorite music to dance on. Then, with a big grin on her face, the little girl grabbed the magenta-haired woman's hand and playfully swung their arms from left to right, perfectly matching the music. Sasha didn't struggle back, that thought didn't even cross her mind for a second. Instead, a sincere laugh escaped from her mouth. That was the signal for Dolores to let her smile grow even wider and laugh along with the magenta-haired woman.

'Come, I can't wait to show you all of my toys!' she cheerfully exclaimed.

The following moments, which almost felt like hours to her, made Sasha feel like she had gone back more than ten years back in time. She forgot that she was in fact a young woman who had absolutely no interest in childish stuff, she hadn't felt like this in years, and she absolutely loved it. All of this had to be without a doubt the most fun she had in months, hell, this was way more fun than all the dates she had with her exes and the visits at the club where she would drink the night away and get into drunken brawls. It was like she had changed into an entirely different person and she didn't care at all. She let go of absolutely everything negative, even forgetting about the will to get out of here. The first thing Dolores showed her was the big slide, that was almost just as big as the stuffed elephants and giraffes. The little girl was the first one to go down; Sasha let out a long, excited 'Woohooooo!' until she reached the bottom. Before they hopped onto the carousel, Dolores gave her a lollipop from the stand, at first jokingly charging her for a small amount of money. Sasha was surprised that the lollipop wasn't made of plastic like she had assumed at first; it tasted like oranges, with a strong taste of sugar. When they settled down on their horses (Dolores in the front, Sasha right behind her), it took another clap in Dolores' hand to start the attraction. As soon as it started, they pretended that they were in a chase, with Sasha repeatedly shouting at the little girl to 'get back here', much to Dolores' amusement. They made funny faces and spoke with cartoonish voices when they played with the dolls and plush animals, which occasionally made them laugh even more. It was so silly, but oh so hilarious, Sasha found herself unable to stop laughing at some moments. A tea set with light blue swirls painted on the cups, teapot, sugar bowl and plates was retrieved from one of the many toy chest and they pretended the dolls and stuffed animals to have a tea party. And whilst the upbeat piano could still be heard playing, they jumped up and down the bed (Sasha almost fell a couple of times due to accidently standing on top of a stuffed animal) until they ran out of breath, just for the fun of it. They fell on their backs, letting the mattress bounce once more time before they both let out another hearty laugh. At the same time, the music had stopped playing, making place for that same rustling noise to fill up the playroom.

Their stomachs were slightly aching and tears of laughter were running down their faces, but Sasha swore to God that she had never had this much fun in her life before. She had never expected to actually spend a really fun time with a 130-year old child when she left her apartment this night, not in a million years. And right now... it felt like she had made a new friend.

Dolores sat up and wiped a tear away with the palm of her hand. 'Thank you so much for playing with me, Sasha.' she said. 'I can't remember the last time I had so much fun. Hold on, I... I want to give you a little present. A token of my appreciation. I think it's lying somewhere around here.' The little girl crawled towards the pillow of the bed and lifted it up, revealing a ticket on the mattress. She grabbed the ticket and handed it over to Sasha. ' _Aiden and Simon proudly present: 'The Tale Of The Little Princess'_ ' was printed on the paper in thick, elegant letters.

'It's a ticket for a play my friends Aiden and Simon have directed.' Dolores explained. 'You can use it if you want to. Trust me, those two have such a big talent for writing plays, I think you would really like it. Don't worry about me, I can easily get another ticket.'

Aiden and Simon... so it looked like this mansion had even more residents. 'Thank you, Dolores.' Sasha said, actually meaning it. She neatly folded the piece of paper and put it in the pocket of her pants.

'But Sasha, if you don't mind... there is actually a question I really wish to ask you.'


	12. You Stay Away From Her

**Chapter 12**

 **You Stay Away From Her**

'What did you see in the mirror?' the little white-haired girl asked.

Oh no. It was exactly that one question Sasha was afraid to hear. She had instantly felt a bit uncomfortable when Dolores had told her that she wanted to ask her a question and this was the exact reason for it. The magenta-haired woman had hoped so much that she would ask about her wanting to see a secret cellar that was hidden underneath the carousel which contain even more toys (or even better, the gear that would lock Charlotte back up in whatever prison that was strong enough to keep her in place for another 121 years, or hopefully much longer this time) or which flavor lollipop she preferred or something silly like that, anything else would fine, expect that one. Hell, while they were spending time together, she had practically forgotten about the horrors she had seen in that damn mirror, just like she wanted. And now it was all coming back to her again to make goose bumps appear all over her arms; the shrill ringing of the school bell, the cruel cheerleaders who had their eyes and teeth replaced with mirror shards, her own frightened reflection in said mirror shards, the living room of her parents' home, her parents' pleas for her to stay. The memories of that twisted mirror world came back to her like a flash. Even though she was wearing a bolero with longs sleeves, Sasha' arms still felt cold due to the goose bumps.

'What about it?' she asked. She couldn't help but wonder why Dolores was so curious about it. If she would tell her about it, well, she got some news for her; she wasn't going to have an overly sweet, feel-good story in store for her, at all. And she had the feeling that was going to be comfortable by telling it either. During these years she had done nothing but her best to forget about her miserable past and focus on the present, but it was all because the magic in this mansion that it was coming back to her... and remembering it hurt like hell.

'I have seen your face when you escaped from the mirror's heart, Sasha.' Dolores said. (So that mirror world was actually the heart of the mirror... but despite this rather pretty name, it didn't cover up all the creepiness it was capable of creating) 'You looked so pale, your eyes expressed nothing more but sheer fright... I do not doubt that those horrible things you must've seen were part of your past. It is clear that is still hurts you. Perhaps I could help you ease the pain. If it isn't too hurtful for you, would you like to tell me about it? But remember Sasha, I won't force you to talk about your past if you don't wish to. But I shall listen to you... because Sasha, you're my friend. And you always will be.'

Friend. Did she just hear that right? This little girl, who was more than a century old, contained the powers to create everything and everyone in this mansion, and had stopped seeing the outside world at the tender age of nine, considered her, Sasha Banks, as her friend. The magenta-haired woman almost found it unbelievable to believe what she was hearing. This was almost too crazy and unreal for words, it almost made Sasha laugh. Not once in her life she had thought she could befriend a 130-year old girl with hair that was as white as the snow this harsh winter had produced. But Dolores was right about one thing, though; talking about her childhood was going to be so painful for her. Silence fell in the playroom, that is if the rustling noise the gramophone made didn't count. The magenta-haired woman grabbed a small, brown, plush dog with a light pink ribbon tied around its neck from the bed and gently fidgeted with it, unsure of what she should do. For some reason, turning and slightly squeezing the stuffed animal in her hands made her feel a bit more at ease. A reason to tell Dolores about the past that she had tried so hard to forget anyway was slowly emerging. There was one thing here that was for sure; after this night, she would never see Dolores again, because by the time the sun would rise, she was getting the hell out of here. (And hopefully by that time, they had found that gear and locked Charlotte back up in her prison where she belonged) Sasha would most likely never drive through the woods again for as long as she would live, she would never look at dolls the same way again and even eating a slice of chocolate cake or drinking tea wouldn't feel like just a simple everyday thing anymore for her. But Sasha wasn't going to lie; there was definitely a friendship going on between her and the white-haired girl now. And she had the strong feeling that she had to protect her from that murderous goliath of a doll, because she knew that Dolores wasn't able to do this on her own.

She knew exactly how it felt like to be all on your own with nobody to help you.

And since she was never going to see her again after all of this would be over, what would telling her life story matter in the end? Exactly, nothing. Like she could ever use it against her.

Sasha stopped fidgeting around with the plush dog and let out a sigh. Fine then. It was going to be tough to talk about it for sure, but... she would try.

'Well... let's just say that things weren't all too great from the moment I had been born.' she said, figuring this could be the best way to introduce her past to Dolores.. 'I have always believed that my mother never actually planned to get pregnant, that I was just an... accident, I guess. But she or my dad never told me that. I grew up in the most poverty-stricken part of town, pretty much the kind of neighborhood you want to avoid at night. I was pretty much the only kid who lived there, because nobody in their right mind would think of raising a baby in a neighborhood like that one. From as long as I can remember, my parents never managed to get their hands on a stable job. Both of them didn't finish high school, they dropped out before they could graduate. Even when one of them managed to get a job, it was usually a very short-lived one; most of the time it was seasonal work, it was all they could possibly get. I don't know if they had this in your time, but they lived on social welfare, even long before I was born. All the money that came in was spend on the rent, water, gas and electricity, there was always little to no money left after they paid all of that. Hell, sometimes there wasn't even enough money left to buy enough food! And now that I mention food... we started relying on food stamps by the time I was six. They had to buy our clothes and shoes at thrift shops, because they couldn't afford buying clothes from regular fashion stores. And... that's what the kids at school noticed about me. It started with name-calling at elementary school, which was located in a more wealthy neighborhood. I was labeled as 'the poor kid'. You know, kids really start to become mean in 7th grade, it just takes one popular girl to point out your cheap sweater or the holes in your jeans to make everyone else call you names. I thought maybe everything could go better during middle school and high school, it was just hope, I guess. Boy, was I wrong. Everything truly went to hell during those years, the bullying only got worse. It wasn't just name-calling anymore. In high school, status mean everything, and I mean everything. Those girls who bullied me were able to afford the latest fashion, always looked good and were popular with the boys... I was the complete opposite. If you wore the most expensive brands of clothing, you were a somebody. I was less than nothing. And those girls made the perfectly clear to me. I was called the worst names imaginable on a daily basis, they would tear my clothes, put gum in my hair, write insults on my locker, pour milk or water over my lunch, empty my bag on the floor, pass me horrible notes during class, and if I were unlucky enough to run into them in the girls' bathroom, they would corner me and beat the hell out of me. I couldn't tell the teachers about it, because I knew they would find out about it, since one of the bullies was the daughter of the history class teacher. Each night I would cry myself to sleep because I was so scared of going to school and I would wake up with the worst anxiety ever, it was literally the first thing I would feel. I didn't have a single friend to turn to, because nobody liked me. Nobody wanted to hang out with the 'poor girl with the greasy hair and ugly clothes'. It's a miracle I managed to graduate despite all the anxiety and stress, seriously. After high school, I finally began to catch the attention of guys. They had money, they had a status, they had a well-paying job. They could buy stuff for me that my parents or I never could. I got brand clothes, money, shoes, make-up, new haircuts, I got everything I could possibly want from these guys. I was able to visit the most expensive restaurants and clubs in town. I finally began to feel like I was a somebody. That scared, pathetic, bullied poor girl I was in high school was gone. Status, popularity, good looks, expensive stuff, I wanted it all. I couldn't care less if a guy would break with up me, I would always simply move on to the next one, I knew plenty of them. As long as they had money and were popular, all was good. When one of my exes offered me to live in his apartment, I finally got the chance to get away from my parents. It's all their fault that I got bullied. They knew what I was going through, but they didn't do anything to make things easier for me. I have asked them so many times to buy me brand clothing or let me at least dye my hair, but they did nothing. Christ, I hated them so much, and I still do, by the way, I'm so glad I got out of that dump. I honest to God never want to talk or see them again. They made me suffer through high school... and I'll never forgive them for it.'

With that, Sasha ended her life story. She glanced at the plush dog in her hands in silence. Once again, it was quiet for a brief moment in the playroom.

'My goodness... Sasha, I'm so sorry.' Dolores said with a soft voice. The little girl touched her arm and gently squeezed it, like she was trying to comfort her. There was something about this gesture that touched something deep inside Sasha; it was a simple touch to her arm, why did it bring tears to her eyes? The magenta-haired woman forced herself not to spill a single tear, rapidly blinking her eyes. Thankfully she managed to push them back and Dolores hadn't noticed them. 'Your past is indeed a very sad one.' the white-haired girl spoke. 'Children can indeed be very cruel and your story did nothing to disprove that. I'm glad to hear that life got better for you after your ordeal, but Sasha... let me ask you something very important.'

Sasha saw the look in Dolores' eyes change in an instant; they went from genuine compassion to sheer seriousness.

'Have they always given you love throughout your life?'

But there was no opportunity to answer to this question.

With the speed of lightning and without any warning, a pair of inhumanely long, porcelain arms pierced through the ceiling and reached out to Sasha and Dolores. The two were unable to find the impossible chance to duck away, it was already way too late. The hands firmly grabbed the little white-haired girl by her upper arms, brutally yanking her off the bed and dragging her across the floor. Dolores' eyes widened with pure fear as she tried to move her arms in an attempt to grab onto anything, but to no avail. The grip she had found herself in was so strong and painful, it was almost strong enough to crush her bones and muscles. Her mouth opened to let out a shrill scream of fear.

'Sasha!' she screamed at the top of her lungs.

'Dolores!' Oh God, oh Jesus Christ, no! Adrenaline pumped through the magenta-haired woman's veins as she launched herself off the edge of the bed and ran towards Dolores as fast as the adrenaline allowed her to. This is exactly what must've happened in the living room, these must've been the exact same arms that had grabbed her whilst she was least expecting an attack. Her heart pounded inside her head, only one single thought went through her mind; she had to reach Dolores before God knows what would happen to her. Sasha nearly tripped over a plush animal, she kicked a doll out of her way, she heard porcelain crush underneath her ankle boot, but all of this didn't make her run any slower. Just as the arms were retreated back into the ceiling and lifted Dolores up, Sasha miraculously managed to grab her ankle in time. She now held onto the little girl's ankle with both hands, trying to pull her down and out of the nearly agonizing grip of the porcelain hands, but as fragile as they looked like, there was without no doubt an amazing amount of strength in them; Sasha's weight didn't matter one bit, because they continued to retreat back into the ceiling.

'Sasha, help me!' Dolores screamed, her eyes now filled with tears of panic. 'Please, don't let them hurt me!'

'Hang in there!' the magenta-haired woman shouted back. 'I will get you down, I will ge-'

She didn't see the third arm coming right at her. The punch that followed almost felt like a boxer striking her with full force. To her horror, Sasha found her hands slipping away from Dolores' ankle and she was flung through the air like a rag doll. Her body crashed against a wall, the impact made her feel like her skull was cracking. Even though she had her eyes clenched shut, she saw stars in the darkness. Sasha fell to the floor amidst the plush animals and dolls, where she groaned in pain. But there was absolutely no time to curl up on the floor in the hope that the pain would wear off quickly, no way in hell was there time for that. ('Save Dolores get her the hell out of here' was the only, nearly incoherent thought that traveled through her painful head like a fired bullet) The magenta-haired woman forced herself to get back up on her feet, ignoring the painful jolts that traveled through her head. Opening her eyes, she saw to her growing horror that Dolores had been lifted higher to the ceiling, the arms acting like suspenders. The little girl screamed and tried to wiggle her way out of the death grip until the third arm grabbed her by the back of her head. The screaming instantly stopped so abruptly that it made a chill run up Sasha's spine. Only a few, nearly inaudible whimpers escaped from Dolores' open mouth as her eyes rolled in the back of her head. Sasha saw a thin stream of blood trickling from the little girl's nose, flowing over her upper lip and into her mouth. Oh God, oh no...

Within a matter of seconds, another nightmare unfolded in the playroom, that had been so innocent and magnificent a few moments ago. Sasha's entire body ran could as she saw that it was this room's turn to transform into a nightmarish wasteland of rot and decay. Thick, black liquid, the same liquid that had tainted the garden, dripped down the walls like black tears, covering the wallpaper. In an instant, the playroom was filled with the same ungodly stench of death that had lingered in Sasha's mind, this time so strong that it was almost impossible to breathe. Soft snarling could be heard all around Sasha. The sight was something straight out of a child's worst nightmare. All the dolls and plush animals, which had been innocently played with not long ago, had taken on a whole new, terrifying form. There was absolutely nothing adorable or sweet about them left, it was all taken away by the corruption that was now taking over the playroom in a rapid pace. Their eyes were replaced with huge, emotionless doll eyes that darted into opposite directions, oozing with black liquid, staining their clothes, material and ribbons. Their mouths had been ripped open and filled with razor sharp teeth. The giant plush elephant opened its mouth and lifted its trunk, allowing a waterfall of black liquid to spill out whilst it let out a grotesque trumpeting; it sounded like it was literally drowning in the liquid. The neck of the giraffe had been broken and bent into a horrifying angle, but it still tried to move its head around; sickening crunching noises could be heard from the damaged neck. The neighs of the carousel horses closely resembled the insane laughter of a bloodthirsty lunatic, black ooze dripped from their mouths as they jerked around to break free from the poles that kept them in place, but luckily their attempts failed. Sasha had inadvertently caught the dolls' and plush animals' attention. Like little zombies, they waddled towards her, their sharp teeth shining like little knifes and softly snarling. Sasha watched them in a mix of fright and disbelief. Then, without any warning, a corrupted teddy bear leaped at her leg without any warning and sunk its teeth into the flesh, piercing through the material of her trousers with ease. A sharp pain traveled through the magenta-haired woman's entire leg. She could immediately feel the warm blood soak her upper leg. This attack was the signal for the other corrupted toys to launch themselves at Sasha. They came from left and right with wide open mouths, ready to tear her to pieces. Oh no, no way in hell she was going to let herself die by the hands of a bunch of crazed toys! Sasha managed to swat them away with her arms, each strike sending them crashing to the floor. Each doll and stuffed animal would lie lifelessly on the floor after she would hit them; she guessed she knocked the energy to get up out of them. The magenta-haired woman then grabbed the teddy bear that still had his teeth pierced into her legs and tugged it off, but careful enough to prevent causing more damaged. Luckily its teeth slipped out of the flesh with ease, not ripping a chunk out of it. Sasha tossed the teddy bear across the room, as far away from her as possible. But when she looked to her left, she saw that the elephant and giraffe were slowly inching closer; perhaps it was their size that made them unable to move that fast, she figured. At least this could give her some more time...

It's astounding how much sheer adrenaline can affect the strength of a human being. Sasha ran towards a toy chest near her and lifted it up as high as she could, she could barely feel the weight during the rush, but it should be heavy enough to break something. And that was exactly what she was going to do. She aimed at the arms that were still suspending poor Dolores up in the air.

'Get the hell away from her!' Sasha shouted, throwing the toy box with all the strength she had. It struck the porcelain with full force, shattering the arm that was holding the little girl's right upper arm and the one that was holding her head, but barely touching the third arm. However, it was enough to make whoever this arms belonged to scream like a banshee. The voice was female... and the long scream ended with a furious growl. Sasha knew exactly who that voice belonged to.

She saw Dolores slipping away from the grip of the arm. The other two arms, now two shattered stumps, retreated back into the ceiling. Sasha ran towards the little girl, reaching out her arms to catch her. It turned out she got there just in time; Dolores slipped away and fell. The magenta-haired woman managed to catch her before her body could hit the ground. Her eyes were still rolled in the back of her head, but she had stopped bleeding from her nose and she was breathing.

'Dolores, wake up!' Sasha exclaimed with a hushed voice, kneeling down and rapidly patting her cheeks. 'It's okay, I got you. For the love of God, wake up, we have to get out of here!'

For a brief moment there was no response, but much to her relief, she saw Dolores' eyelids closing up and slowly opening a second later, revealing her brown irises. But from the mildly confused look on her face, Sasha knew that yet another gap in her memory had been made.

'Sasha...?' the white-haired girl asked. 'Wha... What just ha-'

A nearly ear-deafening bang on their left abruptly cut her off, causing her to fully regain consciousness in an instant. Pieces of debris of all sizes were launched everywhere, landing on the floor, bed, the other side of the room and one piece was even large enough to crush one of the carousel horses, most definitely putting the poor thing out of its misery in the progress. Both Dolores and Sasha looked up in pure shock and saw who was lurking in the big hole that had been smashed in the wall, stuck in a crawling position due to her own size.

Charlotte.

Her towering size covered Sasha and Dolores in a huge shadow, who both immediately noticed a change about her appearance; three pairs of longs arms had grown out of her back, giving her a spider-like appearance. That had to be a result of Dolores' corrupted imagination, she made her do it, it just had to be. Her long, filthy hair rustled like dry hay as she leaned forward, her large doll eyes not breaking away from Sasha and Dolores for once. Doll eyes had always been supposed to be emotionless, but in Charlotte eyes, there was nothing more but rage. It was that undeniably sheer rage that made Sasha's limbs go numb with fright. She had found them, oh Jesus Christ, that damn freak show had found them!

But it seemed like the porcelain behemoth didn't have that much interest in Sasha; her sight shifted to Dolores. 'You...' she growled. Even though the magenta-haired woman didn't see any lip movement coming those blood red lips, Charlotte was still somehow able to speak.

The white-haired girl slipped away from Sasha's arms on her own so that she could stand up and stared back at Charlotte. One quick glance at her face and you would guess she was completely calm, but there was still this clear hint of fright in her eyes. Looking closely, Sasha could swear that she saw tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

'Charlotte, please...' Dolores spoke, trying her best to hide the trembling in her voice. 'I'm begging you to stop. Please, stop it, don't do this...'

A contemptuous scoff could be heard from the giant doll. ''Please, stop it, don't do this...'' she repeated. 'I remember those words so well. Have you forgotten, Dolores? Those were the exact same words I spoke... on the night you locked me up in the clock!'

The little white-haired girl opened her mouth to speak, but before one word could escape past her lips, one of Charlotte's many arms reached out to her and the next second, cold, dusty, porcelain fingers ensnared her. It was clear that Dolores tried to say, or rather, scream something, but her voice was muffled by the palm of the doll's massive hand. Sasha saw the area between her thumb and forefinger firmly pressing against the little girl's nostrils, making it impossible for her to breathe. Dolores clenched her eyes shut as she desperately tried to gasp for air, wiggle her way out of the merciless death grip, but to no avail. Sasha eyes widened her eyes in horror as she realized what was happening; oh dear God, she was suffocating her!

'Let go of her, you freak!' she shouted. The magenta-haired woman ran towards them and started pounding on the hand with her fists, tugging the fingers and kicking the porcelain with all the strength she had, everything she could possibly think of to try and free Dolores, all whilst she could hear her heart pounding in her head. It was obvious that Charlotte wasn't amused at all by the useless hindrance of the unwanted guest; as if she was nothing but an annoying bug, the giant doll swatted her away with one of her many hands. Sasha remembered feeling she was struck by a boxer earlier; now it felt like a huge wall of bricks had been slammed against her. The magenta-haired woman was flung across the floor, the impact had been strong enough for her body to reach a wall. She hit the wall with her back, which was immediately followed with a heavy sting of pain; for a split second, Sasha was afraid her spine had shattered into pieces. She clenched her eyes and teeth, letting out a loud hiss of pain... which was instantly numbed by a new wave of raw adrenaline.

She didn't think twice about what she was planning to do. Charlotte had no idea how fast she was approaching, she only had eye for the helpless Dolores, whose eyes were now open and darted from left to right in pure panic and still struggling for air to fill her oxygen-deprived lungs. As Sasha got closer to the giant doll, she saw how much those frightening doll eyes of hers were now eerily resembling those of a human being, they expressed so much rage. Time for her to do something about those damn eyes. Sasha leaped at Charlotte and whilst blinded and driven by pure adrenaline, drove her fist through her right eye, piercing through the thin glass. She didn't feel the shards cutting into her skin and knuckles for one bit... but it was clear that Charlotte did. The giant doll instantly let go of Dolores as she let out a bloodcurdling scream, grasping at her shattered eye. The little girl dropped to the ground, loudly gasping for air she had needed so badly and coughing. A bloodied hand suddenly grabbed her by her arm and pulled her up. Looking up, Dolores saw that this hand belonged to Sasha.

'Come on, we have to get the hell out of here, now!' the magenta-haired woman exclaimed.

And before the little girl could respond to this, Sasha dragged her along with her, forcing her to run just as fast as she did. This was their only chance to escape. The magenta-haired woman practically ripped the door open and slammed it shut behind them with a loud bang as soon as they got out of the corrupted playroom, knowing well that a simple wooden door would do absolutely nothing to hold Charlotte back, but if it would at least buy them some more time to run like two bats out of hell, she would gladly do it. Hundreds of thoughts rushed through Sasha's mind at once, all of them so incoherent that were impossible to figure out, but one thought did manage to stick out; they could go hide in the kitchen. That was exactly what Sasha planned to do. She didn't care if they had to lock themselves up in some cupboard for hours, as long as that goliath of a psychotic doll wouldn't find them.

Just as they were halfway the corridor, a sound could be heard that made the hairs on both Sasha's and Dolores' necks stand straight up. It was the sound of a wall being smashed to pieces. An infuriated scream was followed, along with loud scratching and a rumbling floor. Sasha forced herself not to look behind her, afraid the sight would make her legs go numb, she knew damn well that it was Charlotte crawling after them. Keep running, damn it, keep running, she thought to herself, repeating this over and over again.

'Why?!' Charlotte could be heard furiously shouting. 'Why wasn't I good enough for you?! Was I ever good enough for you?!'

The stairs to the first floor were just a few meters away, they could still make it! But it seemed like all hope for Sasha were grinded into dust in an instant as something cold and hard grabbed her ankle, causing her to trip and fall on the ground with a painful thud. Looking over her shoulder, she saw to her absolute horror that one of Charlotte's many hands had grabbed her ankle... and no matter how frantically she yanked her leg to break free, it wasn't letting her go. The magenta-haired woman looked up and saw the monstrosity of a doll coming closer, her right eye socket empty but her left eye burning with hate, countless arms reaching out to grab her, drag her towards her and tear her to pieces... Sasha's body immediately turned numb with paralyzing fear, but the fear also made her forget that she still had Dolores with her.

A thick wall rose up from the floor in the blink of an eye, not only cleaving the corridor in half, but also causing the arm that had found its way to Sasha's ankle to be lifted up and shattered in half. A loud thud could be heard, along with a frustrated scream from Charlotte. Then there was silence.

After what felt like a century of nothing more quietness (except for the howling wind outside, as always) sensation began to return into Sasha's limbs with so much speed that it almost made her dizzy as she stared at the wall in disbelief. What... what just happened? Her mind, that was still suffering from the aftermath of the insane adrenaline surge, simply couldn't comprehend it. The magenta-haired woman turned her head to Dolores.

'Did you... do this?' she asked, barely hearing herself over her own heartbeat that echoed through her head.

Not saying a word, Dolores nodded. What Sasha had just witnessed was one of the things that her powerful imagination was capable of creating.

It looked like the two and the other residents of the mansion were safe... for now, at least.


	13. The Memories That Are Dear To You

**Chapter 13**

 **The Memories That Are Dear To You**

It was only when Sasha closed the door behind them after they entered Daniel's bedroom, she could feel safe. She figured the same went for Dolores.

Her legs felt wobbly, as if her bones and muscles had turned into jelly. The magenta-haired woman had to lean against the door for a brief moment to prevent herself from falling to the ground, thankfully it didn't last too long before she managed to pull herself together. This was an effect from the aftermath of the adrenaline, she knew that. When had been the last time her legs had been shaking like this? Probably on the day where she graduated from high school; before she left with her parents, she wanted to make one last little quick visit to the girl's bathroom, convinced that the girls who had tormented her throughout all those years of high school had already left. But yet again, she was unlucky enough to run into her bullies. It was like they knew and decided to stay a little longer, just to wait for the poorest girl in school. Those girls made it perfectly clear to her for one last time that she was nothing more but a total loser in life by shoving her in one of the bathroom stalls and beating her so badly that she saw stars afterwards. Knowing that they couldn't be punished for this, her bullies left the school building, their cruel laughter ringing in Sasha's sore head for what seemed like hours, even when they had been out of her sight for a few mere minutes. There she was, lying on the bathroom floor, with a pair of broken glasses, a black eye and blood trickling out of her nose. She thought she was going to die when they were beating her up; that's why her legs barely had any strength to support her when she managed to get up. That chilling, sickening feeling of narrowly escaping death had lingered with her until the comforting taste of the luxury she had always longed for made her forget about it. And it was that exact same feeling that came back now with full force after she and Dolores had escaped from Charlotte and the corruption she had caused, using the little girl as the catalyst. That damn porcelain monster had the power to control her like a puppet; that thought was almost just as chilling.

While Sasha and Dolores ran to Daniel's room, they made sure to keep some distance between them and the walls. The magenta-haired woman felt in her guts that Charlotte might've already found a way around the wall that (temporarily) held her back and was now ready to strike again, dragging her, Dolores, or both through the hole she had smashed and finish what she had started by crushing them underneath one of her many hands like helpless bugs, or maybe even worse. To be honest, Sasha didn't want to think about it. She didn't want to ruin this brief sense of safety she had, now that they were in the bedroom of Daniel.

The first person who noticed them was Becky, who was sitting on a chair, gently rocking little Oliver in her mechanical arms. The baby looked so relaxed in the robotic maid's presence, judging by the fact that he was sound asleep, probably lulled asleep by the rhythmic clicks and soft rattling that could be heard inside Becky's arms. Becky's eye was wide with surprise and relief when she saw Sasha and Dolores; the gears inside her right eye socket began to rotate faster as a blue spark escaped from her neck.

'Sasha! Dolly, thank God!' she exclaimed while instantly getting up, causing Oliver to wake up and emit soft, trembling cooing noises. 'I heard that porcelain devil of a doll all the way up here! Did she hurt ya two?'

Dolores ran towards Becky and hugged her. 'It was her, Becky...' she said with a soft voice. 'It was her who made me cause all that chaos. Whenever she grabbed me, everything would go dark and... as soon as I would open my eyes... Becky, it was terrible! I'm not hurt, but Sasha's hand is bleeding.'

'Is she now, lass?' The robotic maid glanced at the magenta-haired woman's hand and immediately spotted the blood that stained her skin, so much that it trickled down her pinky and dripped onto the floor. But despite the rather gruesome sight, Becky had a surprisingly calm look on her face. 'Alright, don't ya worry, there's nothin' a loyal maid can't patch up. Here, ya can hold Oliver, right?'

After carefully handing the baby over to Dolores, the robotic maid walked over to Sasha and studied her injured hand. 'Dear goodness, Sash, that's some nasty cuts ya got there...' she mumbled. 'What happened to ya?'

'Charlotte got Dolores, she was suffocating her. I had to punch her through her eye to make her let go of her.' Sasha replied.

'Ya did? My God, I have to hand it to ya, yer one courageous lass to take on that behemoth all on yer own. I can't thank ya enough for savin' wee Dolly... I swear to God, I want to make Charlotte pay for all the misery she has caused all of us. But hold still now, I have to patch up yer hand. Are ya hurt somewhere else?'

'Well, I have been bitten in my leg, but it honestly isn't too bad. I don't think it needs much attention.' Even though her leg was still a bit sore from the ferocious attack of that corrupted teddy bear, Sasha wasn't too bothered by the pain, she could take it. The bleeding had thankfully stopped as well.

Whilst mumbling a quick 'I've got plenty of these anyway...' under her breath, the robotic maid ripped off a strip of her own apron with one swift pull, she did it with so much ease that Sasha was convinced that there was quite some strength hidden in those arms. She then firmly wrapped the strip of fabric around the magenta-haired woman's hand; the absorbed blood turned the white fabric red in a matter of seconds.

'There ya go, hope it doesn't sting too much.' Becky said after tying a knot in the makeshift bandage.

'No, it's fine.' Sasha said. 'But hey, how is Brie doing? Is she getting any better?'

Upon hearing that question, the robotic maid's face went from calm from sad. Seeing this reaction made Sasha's stomach slowly sank to her feet. Oh no... oh God, was she...? Becky glanced at the bed; the magenta-haired woman did the same, already fearing the worst.

The sight would without a doubt shatter the heart of any human being.

There he was. Daniel, or at least what was left of him. Kneeling next to the bed, not breaking away his sight from his wife for one moment... he hadn't even looked up when Dolores and Sasha had entered the room. His eyes were glistening with tears, the area around his eyes had colored in a soft shade of red. About five empty little bottles that had once contained the potion that slightly increased his wife's health were lying around him, scattered on the floor. It looked like the faun had become thirty years older during the time Sasha had been searching for the white-haired girl. New tears flowed down his cheeks and a loud sniff could be heard as Daniel gently squeezed Brie's hand, which almost reminded Sasha of the hand of a corpse. Once glance at Brie and she knew that she was practically on the brink of death. There was almost nothing left of the beauty she had when they first met in the magical garden. The nymph's cheeks had sunk in, causing her cheekbones to eerily stick out. Dark circles had appeared under her eyes. The only sign of that she was still alive was her breathing, which had grown even more shallow and irregular. This was exactly how a dying person would breathe like... this realization made her stomach sink even faster. This whole situation had turned Daniel in a broken shell of a faun and it made Sasha loathe Charlotte even more than before. This was never supposed to happen, they were supposed to spend time in the garden like the happy, wonderful family they were, watching the colored fireflies and winged seahorses while Daniel would put his arm around Brie, who was holding a giggling Oliver in her arms. And here he was, on his knees as a broken faun, haunted by the fact that there was a big chance that he had to say goodbye to his wife. This was so wrong and heartbreaking on so many levels... it almost brought tears to Sasha's eyes.

'Oh my God...' the magenta-haired woman whispered.

'That lass is on the verge of death...' Becky spoke. 'Daniel is sufferin' so much, it's almost inhumane. I have never seen him like this before. The pressure is killin' him, I tell ya. He has given her all the health potions he had left, there's not one left and the flowers in the garden have all died. I'm not sure about for how long she can keep goin'...'

'No...' Gently rocking Oliver (who was now cooing louder) in her arms in an attempt to make him go back to sleep again, Dolores had to fight back her tears. While doing so, she shook her head. 'Please tell me this isn't true! Brie can't die! She has to stay here, with Daniel and Oliver!'

The robotic maid sighed and gently rubbed the white-haired girl's shoulder. 'I'm so sorry, wee princess. I too wish this is all just one big horrible nightmare that we're all goin' to wake up from at any second, but... this is for real.'

'This is all my fault...'

'No, it's not, it never has been. All of this is the fault of that wretched doll Charlotte. And forgive me for strayin' off a bit, but... how did ya two manage to escape from her?'

'Well... we were running away from her, she was so enraged, she wouldn't stop chasing us. I only managed to stop her by creating a wall when she...'

'A wall...?'

Those were literally the first words Daniel had spoken since they had entered his bedroom. Turning her head to look at him, Sasha saw a look on the faun's face that actually frightened her a bit. Tears could still be seen glistening in the corners of his eyes, but it didn't soften the glare, which was as sharp as a dagger, he was aiming at Dolores. While he slowly got up, Sasha could see that he was tightly clenching his fists, which were trembling with anger. More tears ran over his cheeks as he approached the white-haired girl, his soul-piercing glare not ever looking away from her. Looking to Becky, Sasha saw that the robotic maid was even more surprised by this reaction... and she definitely looked more frightened than the magenta-haired woman was.

'Out of all things you could've created...' Daniel hissed. 'Out of all things imaginable... A giant hammer, a sword, an ax, a damn tank for all I care... You... You created a wall?!' Dolores opened her mouth to reply, but when Daniel furiously shouted those two last words of that line, she instantly shut it. 'Why the hell would you do that?!' the distraught faun yelled at her. 'You should have imagined something that would have destroyed that monster, not hold her back! My God, Dolores, what the hell is wrong with you?! Why didn't you destroy Charlotte when you had the chance?! You have seen what she has done to you! To all of us!'

'I...' Dolores wanted to say something, but hesitated. Her breath hitched as she glanced away. She shook her head. 'I... I can't.'

'Why?!'

'I... Y-You... You don't understand! I can't do it!'

'Oh, I understand it alright! I understand now that you are a cowardly little brat who cares more about the enemy than her own friends!'

A loud gasp could be heard from Becky. 'Daniel!' she indignantly exclaimed.

'Don't you defend her!' the faun shouted back at her. 'Everything is falling apart because of that monster and yet chooses her above us! She is the reason why my wife is dying! And Dolores knows that!'

Silence fell in the bedroom like a brick wall. Looking at Dolores' face, Daniel saw what impact his harsh, hurtful words had made. Tears welled up in her eyes, which had been fully widened with pure shock, as if the faun had just slapped her across the face, but words can be so much more painful than any slap in the world... Seeing them made Daniel's rage slowly sink, giving the opportunity for regret to rise. Devastating regret. His glare disappeared and he was about to mutter an apology, but the white-haired girl bit her lower lip, glanced at the ground and shook her head. 'I'm sorry... I'm so sorry... I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry...' she sobbed as she handed over Oliver back to Becky, who had found herself in the mixed emotion of astonishment by Daniel's outburst of angry words and heartbreak by the hurt on the little girl's face. Right on that moment, Oliver threw a major fit, bawling at the top his small lungs; Becky (who had no idea who to comfort first) desperately tried to calm the baby down by gentle rocking him, but to no avail. Sasha was convinced that this outburst was triggered by Daniel's anger, it had to be.

'Dolores... I...' But the faun didn't get the chance to fully apologize; by the time he finished uttering those words, the white-haired child had already turned around and stormed out of the bedroom whilst tears flowed down her pale cheeks. As if his hooves had somehow fused with the floor, Daniel stood there as whatever color had been left in his face drained away. Five extra years had been added to his appearance. Despite his outburst and the hurtful words that had come along with it, Sasha felt horrible for him.

'Listen to me Daniel, it's going to be alright.' she said, putting her hands on his shoulders, like she was trying to make him snap out of his returning grief-stricken, catatonic trance. 'I will find her and explain it to her. You have to hang in there a bit longer, okay? Brie will make it, she won't die, not on my watch!'

Hoping from the bottom of her heart that she was going to be right about that, the magenta-haired woman turned around and hastily exited the bedroom, muffling Oliver's bawling mixed with Becky's soft, soothing voice as soon as she closed the door behind her. Leaving Daniel in that damn mess felt everything but right, she could already imagine him returning to the side of the bed and go down on his knees once more as a catatonic wreck of a faun; that mental image was gut-wrenching, but he already had his hands full on Brie and Becky had to look after Oliver, so that left Sasha with going after Dolores. Speaking of which... there wasn't a single glimpse to catch from the white-haired girl.

It was like she had vanished in thin air, she had ran away that fast. Looking left and right, Sasha tried her best to spot her, hoping to at least briefly see her short white hair disappearing behind a corner, but there were no footsteps, no sobbing, nothing. Perhaps she had been a ghost after all... Sasha had dismissed the theory of Dolores being a ghost before she was introduced to the wonderful playroom, but now it seemed to grow eerily plausible. A chill ran up her spine, but she ignored it. Ghost or not, she had to find her. But where could she have possibly gone? Glancing to her right, the magenta-haired woman heard a faint, slimy sound, mixed with soft growling. She knew exactly where that was coming from; it was coming from behind the wall that Dolores had created. There was absolutely no way in hell Sasha was going to get close to that damn wall. It was clear that the corrupted toys had found their way out of the playroom and into the hallway, now trying to get past the wall that imprisoned them there by clawing at it. The entire hallway had to be covered by that black ooze by now, that had to explain that slimy, dripping noise; either that, or the liquid that was collectively dripping from their mouths, or a combination of both. Sasha thought it was the latter. She passed by the wall, making sure to keep a safe distance, but when she heard the gurgling trumpeting of the giant plush elephant, the strength of the next chill that traveled up her spine increased by tenfold, it was nearly painful. What if Charlotte was waiting for her behind that wall? Or... what if she had taken Dolores? Those thoughts almost instantly turned Sasha's mouth dry. She expected a huge doll arm to burst through the wall and grab her at any moment when she walked by, but thankfully it didn't happen. However, the thought of the porcelain behemoth finally managing to get her hands on Dolores and dragging her to God knows where to hurt her just wouldn't go away.

Suddenly, the magenta-haired woman had the feeling she was being watched. She looked up and the feeling was immediately justified. Two pairs of beady eyes that were placed in two shapeless black figures were peeking at her from behind the east corner. It were two shadows, one dressed in a mint green Victorian dress with white ruffles, the other wearing a black top hat, a black coat and burgundy red waistcoat. Both of them were carrying suitcases which were stuffed with clothing. They were going to join the other shadows with their escape from Charlotte's reign of terror, it was obvious.

'It's not her.' the shadow in the dress said.

'Who?' the other asked.

'Charlotte. It's not her. It's the guest with the odd hair. It is safe.'

'Can we go?'

'Yes, we can go.'

The two shadows dared to slither around the corner and headed towards the stairs, but Sasha wasn't planning on letting them continue their trip just before asking one important question.

'Hey... did you two happen to see Dolores, by any chance?' the magenta-haired woman asked. 'It's kind of important... no, it's pretty important that I find her.'

'Dolores?' The two shadows glanced at each other, then back at Sasha. It looked like they nodded. A part of them expanded and formed an arm with a hand that only had a thumb. They pointed to their right with that thumb. 'She went that way, right through the door.' the shadow with the top hat said. 'Yes, that way. First door you see, on your right.' the one with the dress said.

Sasha uttered a quick 'Thank you so much.' and she ran past the two shadows, who briefly glanced at her one more time before continuing to head to the stairs, wanting to get out of here as soon as possible. For once, Sasha had been glad to encounter those strange pipsqueaks; who knew they would be able to help her out at some point?

It turned out the shadows had been speaking the truth. After making only five steps after turning around that corner, the magenta-haired woman spotted a door on her right. This had to be the door they were talking about, she didn't see any other one. Whatever surreal room would be waiting for her behind the wood, Dolores had to be there; if it turned out those shadows had been lying to her and wasting her precious time, Sasha swore she would make them freaking run to Kane's boiler. Without any hesitation, she opened the door, mentally preparing herself for what she would see next.

To her slight surprise, it appeared that she had been lead to a steep, narrow staircase. Were these perhaps the staircase of an attic? It did make sense, however. There were plenty of children out there who would hide in the attic when something was bothering them big time, at least, that's what Sasha thought. Back when she was in elementary school (a year or two before the bullying started), she had overheard a conversation between two classmates during lunch, where one girl claimed that the fights between her parents had become so frequent and heated that she would hide in the attic in order to escape from the verbal abuse the two adults would throw at each other and would only come out if one of them had left the house to cool off. Sasha believed that the girl's parents had divorced one month after she heard that, but by that time she was more worried about other, much more important things... like wondering if her parents' dire financial situation would ever get any better. The magenta-haired woman decided to go for it. Small lamps had been attached to the walls, which were covered in dark red wallpaper; the light they produced was pleasant, it helped her to see where she was going. As she went up the stairs, Sasha couldn't help but wonder about what she would encounter when she would reach the attic. But whatever she would see... she seriously hoped Charlotte, or her by-products of the corruption she had created, wouldn't be waiting for her. Not a single sound could be heard, only her ankle boots that touched the wooden steps. It was so silent, you almost thought this could be the perfect trap.

There was no hatch to seal away the staircase at the top. As Sasha finally reached the top of the staircase, she peeked into the attic... and once again, she was struck with surprise.

Yes, she had expected dusty furniture, old toys, maybe even some kind of hidden treasure, but this... she hadn't expected this at all. Right now, Sasha Banks was standing in a fancy lobby of what seemed like a theatre. The floor wasn't made of cold wood, but it was covered with a recently cleaned, stainless, red carpet. The walls were covered with a cream-colored wallpaper with a golden, elegant flower designs printed on them. A crystal chandelier was responsible for the light in the lobby. The smell of fresh peanuts and popcorn filled Sasha's nose. Not noticing that her jaw was slacked, the magenta-haired woman continued to look around her. There was a black ticket booth with golden swirls painted on it, but the windows were fenced; a sign that read _'Closed until the next session_ ' with fancy letters informed her that a show wouldn't take place at this moment. Wait a minute... was this the show Dolores had been talking about. Yes, it was that play... but what were the names of those two guys who directed it? Aiden and Simon, she recalled. Then this area of the mansion had to be their home, like the enchanted garden had been Brie's home once. Sasha couldn't help but wonder what kind of creatures those two were. Hopefully they wouldn't be too hostile towards their visitor, maybe if she showed them her ticket for their play, everything would be fine. Right next to the ticket booth was a pair of red doors, which were slightly ajar. Could it be? Could Dolores be in there? The magenta-haired woman pushed the doors further open, for some reason expecting the shutters of the ticket booth to go up and a rough voice yelling at her to show her ticket, but it was completely quiet in the lobby. And honestly, Sasha preferred it that way. The doors were opened further with a loud creak, as if they hadn't been opened in a while.

It was like she had somehow exited the mansion, travelled back to the Victorian era and stepped into one of the grandest theatres of all time. There was an entire sea of seats, all covered with red velvet, not one of them stained with a speck of dust. The golden pillars had been polished recently, shining so bright in the light of the chandeliers that had been attached on several places on the ceiling that it almost hurt Sasha's eyes. More rows seats could be found in the balconies on both sides of her. And right there, in front of the dozens of rows of seats in the center, was a huge, wooden stage. Thick red curtains were drawn together, screening off the backstage for everybody who would attend the play. Sasha almost couldn't believe what she was seeing; all of this, every detail, every seat, every crystal in a chandelier, had been the work of Dolores. This is where she would go for entertainment, it had to be. And it was on that very stage where the magenta-haired woman saw a small, humanoid figure with short white hair, sitting on the edge of the stage.

Oh thank God... After letting out a sigh of relief, Sasha walked towards the stage, her footsteps echoing in the empty theatre. As she got closer, she heard Dolores sobbing, replacing the intense amazement she felt earlier with pity. It looked like the poor thing was still upset about the words Daniel had yelled her in his blind fury... hopefully Sasha could take some of that pain away and make her understand. Even though she must've heard her approaching, the white-haired girl didn't look up. Her gaze was set on her feet, which were dangling above the floor. Just a few steps, and the magenta-haired woman would reach her.

'I'm trying so hard...' Dolores suddenly mumbled, catching Sasha by surprise and causing her to stand still for a moment. The white-haired girl sniffled and brushed with her hand underneath her nose. 'But no matter how hard I try... I can't imagine a new garden that will make Brie better again. I just can't.'

Sasha made her last steps to the stage and lifted herself up to the edge, sitting down next to the little girl. 'And why is that, Dolores?' she asked with a soft voice.

'Well...' she mumbled. 'Every time I try to think of something, even if it's a flower or a flying seahorse... I get this agonizing pain in my head. It's just like after you rescued me in the living room, but now it's much worse. I'm afraid my head will explode if I try to imagine something new again...I know that Charlotte has something to do with that. I think she wants me to prevent imagining. It feels like my powers are taken away from me... I do want Brie to get better, I don't want Daniel to be angry at me anymore, Sasha!'

The magenta-haired woman put her hand on Dolores' shoulder and gently squeezed it. 'Hey little missy, listen to me.' she said with a small, reassuring smile on her face. 'I know Daniel didn't mean what he said. You know what the thing is with adults, Dolores? When they get upset or emotional... they sometimes say things they don't mean in the end. They do that all the time. And I'm pretty sure Daniel still cares about you.'

'Oh... I know plenty about adults.' The white-haired girl glanced at Sasha, with her mouth turned into a flat, emotionless line. 'They don't only shout cruel things when they're emotional, you know? They do that too when they're drunk. And my father... he always did that. I can't remember him in any other way. I think he yelled more than he had ever smiled in his entire life. There was always a reason for him to shout at me or my mother. Either he would be drunk when that happened, or my mother wouldn't receive enough customers on a day. Even if I would mess up on something, like not getting out of bed early enough or interrupt him while he was talking with someone, he would get mad. I can't remember him speaking one kind word, ever. Not to me, or my mother. And my mother... she was just as horrible and vile-tempered as he was. I don't think she ever loved me, she was more worried about her customers than about me. She would much rather spend time with total strangers than with her own daughter. For some reason, she would always take her customers to her bedroom... and they would always give her money when they came out.'

'Wait...' With a sickening feeling in her stomach, Sasha made the guess. 'Your mother... Was she a prostitute?'

'Oh, is that how someone who does her kind of work is called nowadays? Then... yes, I suppose she is... well, was one.'

Right on that moment, the magenta-haired woman felt her heart splitting in two for Dolores. This wasn't right, this was so wrong in so many ways. A little mysterious girl like her shouldn't have such a stomach-churning background like this, it was too much. She didn't belong in some shady, rat-infested, smelly, Victorian brothel full with perverted, unshaven, grimy men gawking at women like her mother like they are a tasty treat, no, she belonged here, in this magical mansion, with a faun and nymph with their baby, a robotic maid, two directors and yes, even a flame-controlling hothead of a loner as her family. Was it only her mother who those men had touched? Sasha dearly hoped so, please God, let this be true... Tears almost appeared in Sasha's eyes, but she pushed them back by rapidly blinking them.

'Now, I wanted to ask you a very important question in the playroom, Sasha...' Dolores spoke, as if she wanted to avoid revealing more about her horrid past. Wiping away the remainders of her tears, she looked her straight in the eyes. 'I know we were unfortunately interrupted there, so I wish to ask you once more... Have your parents always given you love throughout your life?'

She had never thought about it, let alone cared about it during her entire childhood, teenage years and the years that came after. As this question fully sank into her mind, all those memories, which hadn't been precious at first, came back in one flood. Yes, Sasha remembered all those times in her past where her parents had been there for her. And now that she thought about it... they had been there a lot for her, and yet she didn't care. Emotional support didn't matter to her; material support, that's what she needed the most. If they could buy her one expensive piece of clothing, it didn't matter if it would be a jacket or a pair of socks, only then the bullying would stop. But now, Sasha looked past all of that. She looked past the desire that had lasted for more than a decade for brand clothing or other expensive stuff. She remembered the loving hugs her mother would give her before she would leave to school with what felt like a boulder in her stomach and her wishing her a nice day, even though she knew that she would probably come home in tears. She remembered her father telling how much of a precious daughter she was to him. She remembered her father giving her his mittens on a cold winter day when they were going to the thrift shop, he didn't care if his fingers would freeze off, he said... as long as his little girl's hand would be warm. She remembered her mother making mac'n'cheese, her favorite dish at the time, on the days where she felt the saddest. She remembered her mother sewing her clothes whenever the bullies managed to tear them. She remembered the three of them sitting next to a Christmas tree, decorated with the few decorations they had, huddled together in front of the fireplace while a singer could be heard singing a tinny Christmas song on TV. She remembered every time where her parents told her that they loved her... and those were just a few of the many memories of Sasha Bank's parents.

Oh God...

The magenta-haired woman nodded, with tears now visibly welling up in the corners of her eyes. 'Yeah... yeah, they did.' she said.

'There, I had hoped you would say that.' Dolores responded. 'As you can guess from what I have told you, my parents never showed me love, not even once. You don't realize how lucky you were to have parents who loved you so much, despite their financial situation. My parents did have money, but they couldn't afford love for their daughter with it. I didn't have other family members, but... the only one who felt like true family to me, was Charlotte.'

'What?'

'Yes, I know it sounds deluded now, but she was so much different back then. Only when I managed to bring her to life with my powers, it felt like I finally had someone. From the moment I brought her to life, she had been kind to me. Charlotte has always been there for me. I loved her and she loved me. Not only was she my best friend in the whole world, but she has been more than a mother to me than my original mother ever was. Charlotte cooked for us, played with me, danced with me... we did everything together. She was my first real friend and what felt like the first real family member to me. To this days, I still have so many memories of us together that are so dear to me, you couldn't even comprehend. It was such a wonderful time... until that incident happened.'

Sasha didn't get the chance to ask about the mysterious incident; an immensely loud racket from behind the curtains abruptly ended the conversation.


	14. Cold Elegance

**Chapter 14**

 **Cold Elegance**

As if they had been sitting on a bed of red-hot coals, Sasha and Dolores immediately got up and turned around, their eyes widened in a mix of surprise and shock. The magenta-haired woman felt her heart sinking to her feet like a piece of concrete as her throat went dry. It had to be her, it had to be Charlotte; that was the only thought that was racing through her mind. That behemoth of a doll must've crawled her way to the attic through the walls like a damn spider, heard them talking and decided that this was the right moment to strike. They had her backs turned to her the whole time, they were so caught up in Dolores' sad story, they wouldn't have a chance to strike back; it would be the perfect opportunity. All that was left for them now was to run once more, but even then... would they be once again blessed with the luck of outrunning her? That chance was small, pretty damn small, but it was still possible. They could escape by running down the staircase, it would be too narrow for Charlotte to squeeze herself through and it would give them enough time to rush to safety and hide somewhere... as her heart started to beat like crazy, it felt like hundreds of thoughts went through Sasha's head at once with the speed of a fired bullet.

In an act of her newfound determination to protect Dolores, the magenta-haired woman shielded the child with her arm while her sight was cemented on the closed curtains, expecting Charlotte's head or one of her many arms to appear through the thick, red material at any second. Everything in her body was yelling at her to grab Dolores by her arm, run away with her as fast as they could and not to look behind them and she truly was about to do so... but nothing happened.

'What in the world did you do?!' a somewhat muffled male voice from behind the curtains shouted; Sasha wasn't entirely sure whether this was meant for her or maybe even Dolores.

A little gasp could be heard from the white-haired girl as she blinked her eyes one time. 'Sasha, it's alright!' she said with a reassuring voice, which contained a hint of relief. She looked up at the magenta-haired woman, the fear now completely dissolved and her face showing a big smile. 'I know who it is!'

'Wait... what?' Sasha replied. Her heart raised back up to her chest with so much speed that it actually made her a bit dizzy.

'We are safe, it's not Charlotte!' Before her guest could ask about who it was, Dolores walked towards the curtains. Sasha decided to follow her. Despite the fact that the voice had sounded angry, the smile of relief could still be seen on her face. It must've been someone she felt safe around, that was for sure. Seeing that expression on the little girl's face made the relief and the realization that Charlotte hadn't found them fully sink into Sasha, causing her legs to feel a bit wobbly. If it really was someone Dolores couldn't trusts, that would mean they could gain an ally... right? Yes, that had to be. So far, Sasha hadn't encounter any resident of this mansion who would be insane enough to side with Charlotte. So far the only person who had developed some sort of grudge towards Dolores was Daniel, but she knew that this hate hadn't been genuine at all. He had many more real reasons to loathe Charlotte than the little girl. The faun would never side with the giant doll after what she had done to his wife, not in a million years. Sasha couldn't help but wonder how he was holding up now; did he manage to pull himself together or was he still an emotional wreck? She dearly hoped it wasn't the latter.

As they passed through the curtains, the fresh smell of lavender filled up Sasha's nose, which actually quite surprised her. She expected a theatre's stage curtains to have this suffocating musty smell due to countless years of just hanging there, but she guessed she had been wrong. It became pretty clear to her that it was an important rule in this household to keep the theatre spotlessly clean, from the lobby to the stage curtains. And she had to say, whoever did this (perhaps Becky since she was the maid, but it was likely she got some help for this, maybe it were the shadows or Daniel?) had done a really good job on this.

The cause of the ear-deafening racket they had heard a few moments ago was revealed when they entered the backstage. A pile of large wooden stage props, which included a wardrobe, bed and some pine trees seemed to have been knocked over. Each stage prop had been skillfully painted, but it looked like some of the paint on one of the pine trees and the wardrobe had been chipped off due to the fall. Three shadows were standing around them, shamefacedly glancing at the floor as two odd-looking men scolded them. One of them was noticeably a bit shorter than the other. The taller man was dressed in a fancy burgundy-red long-sleeved coat, neatly polished black shoes, white ascot and a pair of dark brown trousers. His top hat matched the color of his coat. The shorter man was wearing a darthmouth green waistcoat, white long-sleeved shirt, grey tie, a pair of feldgrau green trousers and his black shoes were just as neatly polished as those of his companion. Just like his waistcoat, his top hat had the same shade of green. Both men were wearing white gloves and were also covering their faces with white theatrical masks, twisted into an expression of anger.

'Look at what you've done, you clumsy imbeciles!' the taller man exclaimed, pointing at the stage props.

'Do you realize how long we had to work on those?!' the shorter man grumbled angrily. 'Look, the paint has been ruined! And the play will start in less in half an hour, for goodness sake!'

The shadows mumbled something, most likely an apology, but Sasha couldn't exactly figure out what they were saying.

'Don't you three just stand there, pick those up and fix them!' the taller man said. 'And hurry up, will you? Our play shall not be ruined by damaged stage props!'

'Go, go, go!' the smaller man urged whilst clapping his hands.

The shadows nodded while uttering more apologies and each formed a pair of arms, picking up the stage props. Then they took off, wondering out loud if there was still any paint.

The taller man let out a loud, frustrated sigh and shook his head. 'Ugh, those amateurs!' he exclaimed while rubbing his temples with the tips of his fingers. 'I can't believe this is happening, Simon. Why did this have to happen this evening, on the great debut of our newest play? And where is Lana? She should have been here by now! She is our biggest star, for crying out loud! As if this night hasn't been disastrous for all of us already!'

'Agreed.' Simon, the smaller man, replied. 'But we must continue! This play has to be our grandest play yet, Aiden. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, shall prevent us from showing this masterpiece to our fellow residents, no damaged stage props, nor that humongous devil! Hopefully those clumsy shadows can restore the props in time... what would Dolores think of us if she sees them? She would think we are complete jokes! Amateurish fools!'

Having heard every word they said, the white-haired child giggled. 'Aiden, Simon, why would you possibly think that?' she asked. 'You two know I always enjoy your plays, no matter what!'

The two perfectionists immediately turned around, clearly surprised by her presence. Sasha could barely believe her eyes, but she saw it happening; the angry frowns the masks had expressed the entire time twisted into a whole new expression, this time the one of joy. Aiden took off his mask and revealed his face. It turned out that he was a pale man in his late twenties, with grey-blue eyes, neatly trimmed and combed brown hair and a curled mustache with a short beard. Simon did the same as well. He appeared to be a bit older than Aiden, he was early in his thirties. He had big brown eyes, dark brown hair that was swept to the left and his mustache was more strongly curled than his companion, giving him that classy Victorian look.

'Well, I'll be!' Aiden said with a smile on his face. He went down on one knee and spread his arms. 'If it isn't our little princess! Milady, how are you holding up despite this atrocious situation?'

The white-haired girl ran towards the director and wrapped her arms around his neck; Aiden happily hugged her back.

'Not too well, I'm afraid...' Dolores replied with a somewhat sad voice. 'There have been a few times where Charlotte got me... But it's all thanks to Sasha that I'm still here now.'

'Sasha...?' Aiden let go of her, stood up and looked up at the magenta-haired woman in mild confusion. 'You mean that this lady here has been the guest the shadows have been whispering about? Oh, where are my manners? Welcome in our incredible mansion, madam.' He gently grabbed her hand and pressed his lips on the back; his mustache slightly tickled against her skin. 'I dearly hope you enjoyed staying here so far despite... well, I suppose you already know by now.' Aiden said. Sasha crooked her mouth into an awkward smile. Only very few men had greeted her with a kiss on her hand and those men were her boyfriends at one point during her life; this guy was a total stranger, plus he wasn't exactly her type. 'Uh... thanks...' the magenta-haired woman replied.

'It's so pleasant to finally have a guest after so many years!' Simon said. 'And I have to say, in all honesty... you madam, are quite a beauty.' Just like his companion did, he carefully lifted Sasha's other hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on the back; the magenta-haired woman noticed that this kiss lasted a bit longer than the other one. She was about to pull her hand back when, much to her slight relief, the fellow eventually removed his lips from it. 'I am more than glad that you can witness our greatest masterpiece yet!' Simon said as his face began to beam with pride. 'Believe us, madam, it will be worth the wait. Soon you shall sit down in one of our finest seats, perhaps enjoy some delicious treat and feast your eyes upon the finest acting, sophisticating writing and most detailed scenery you shall ever see in your life!'

'Oh yes, yes, yes!' Aiden said with a big grin. 'It shall be the play everyone in this mansion will be talking about for years to come!'

'Hey look, um...' Sasha really didn't want to ruin the mood of these two, but there was something pretty important she wanted to point out. 'Not that I want to be rude or a killjoy or anything, but... I honestly don't think a lot of people will show up at your play, guys. I mean, you do know that Charlotte is still on the loose, right?' She immediately remembered the stream of clothed shadows that traveled to Kane's boiler room.

But it looked like this little reminder didn't break Aiden's and Simon's spirits for one bit. 'Madam Sasha, we are upmost aware of that dreadful fact and we appreciate your concern and logic here.' Aiden said. 'But you must understand that we are true artists.'

'Indeed!' Simon said. 'And no matter what will happen, true artists will let their masterpieces continue! If not, they have no right to call themselves artists. Everybody knows that.'

These guys were dead serious about this... Sasha knew there wasn't any other way to convince them to cancel the play and get the hell out of here while they still could. But somewhere deep inside, she was actually a bit impressed by how much they were devoted to their work. How many people had died because of this trait? A whole bunch, she could easily guess that. Hopefully these two directors would live long enough to see their dream come true.

'Say, madam Sasha, could you please do us a huge favor?' Aiden asked.

'Um... sure, what is it?'

'Could you please make sure that Lana is still around and bring her here? The show will start very soon and she still hasn't arrived. She is our biggest star, the play would be nothing without her. Oh, how I do hope she is alright...'

Sasha thought about this request for a little moment. So this Lana person she never heard of before was an actress... The magenta-haired woman knew that actresses could be often really snooty, she had read plenty of interviews in magazines to know this. But she would be so wrong to think Sasha Banks was going to back away from her, oh no. She wasn't going to back down from anyone anymore... not after what she had been through during high school.

'Alright.' she said. 'And where can I find her exactly?'

'You can always find her practicing in the dancing room.' Simon replied. 'I am most certain of that. After all, she spends more time in that room than she does in all others.'

'So I guess that narrows down the search a bit... where is the dancing room?'

'Fairly easy to find, madam Sasha.' Aiden said. 'It's on the second floor. When you exit the theatre, go down the same stairs that lead you up here, then turn left. The dancing room shall be at the end of the east hallway.'

'Thank for telling me that.' Then the magenta-haired woman shifted her attention to Dolores. 'I will be back as soon as possible, okay? I promise I won't make it too long.'

The white-haired girl slightly frowned in confusion. 'What? But Sasha... I want to come with you!'

Sasha couldn't help but smile a little bit about this. She began to pat her on the head. 'Look sweetie, I know you want to.' she said. 'But Charlotte is still down there and I don't want to risk you getting hurt again, do you understand? I think you would be much safer up here with Aiden and Simon. Like I said, I won't be gone for long. I'm just going to pick up Lana, I'll be back before you know it. Maybe you could look here for the gear in the meanwhile.'

After a brief moment of silence, Dolores nodded in understanding. 'Just... please be careful, Sasha.' she said.

'I will. Don't worry.'

* * *

After she went down the stairs and headed back to the second floor, something in the corner of Sasha's eye caught her attention. A dresser had been placed next to the door, a little detail she hadn't paid attention to while she had been searching for Dolores. A whiff of lavender could be smelled from the knitted baby blue cloth that had been placed on top of it (she swore that the smell of lavender would forever remind her of this night after she would get out, next to that horrid smell of death), but that wasn't really the thing that caught her eye. It was a silver girandole with three curled branches, neatly polished and holding three unlit candles. It looked quite heavy... maybe heavy enough to smash through porcelain. That thought made something click inside the magenta-haired woman's head and she knew exactly what she was thinking.

She was so sick and tired of running away from that behemoth Charlotte; if she would encounter her again, she was going to smash her to pieces before she could get those cold, hard, porcelain hands on her. With a bit of luck, she could destroy her other eye. Once she would be blinded, it would be impossible for her to track her and Dolores down, right? Sasha decided to do it. She picked up the girandole (which thankfully had some weight, just like she had hoped to), removed the three candles and put them on the dresser. The silver felt cold in her hand, but it gave her a sense of strength; at least now she had a weapon to defend herself with.

The magenta-haired woman remembered every word Aiden had told her. Sure, he and Simon were eccentric perfectionists who were dedicated to their work a little bit too much, but they sure had helped her out. And Dolores felt comfortable around them, she felt safe around them, Sasha didn't feel bad for leaving her with them. How hard was it going to be to convince Lana to come with her? One way or another, she would get her to move her butt to the theatre before the play would start. Hopefully they would get back just in time, for Dolores' sake. But it wasn't only for her sake, though; it was for those of Aiden and Simon as well. Sasha wanted to spare the white-haired girl from the sight of seeing two grown man suffering a mental breakdown over the failed play that was supposed to be their masterpiece.

Just like Aiden had told her to, she walked to the very end of the east corridor, making sure to keep a safe distance from the walls. The thought of Charlotte still being around on the second floor was freshly marked in the back of her head. Even though the girandole did give her some sense of safety, she still didn't want to walk close near the wall just yet. Oh no, she didn't want to risk being snatched up like a bird of prey's helpless meal. But even if one of the giant doll's many hands would grab her despite keeping a safe distance, she swore she would smash all of her fingers into pieces. As she looked to the opposite side of the second floor, she saw that none of the corrupted toys had made their way through the wall yet, thank God. And how was Daniel keeping up? She couldn't hear a single thing coming from behind the door of his bedroom... she dearly hoped that was a good sign.

When she finally reached the end of the east corridor, Sasha could only see one door on her left. There had been a few windows on her right, showing her that the seemingly endless snowing had stopped at last; this gave her another bit of comfort as well. The magenta-haired woman remembered the desire to get the hell out of this strange mansion so well and she did still feel it, but now along with another wish... it was the wish to make sure Dolores would be safe. Despite the fact that she was wearing a long-sleeved bolero, she could feel a hint of cold emerging from behind the door of what had to be the dancing room. Odd... she remembered the other rooms of this mansion being a lot warmer. And if Kane was indeed responsible for keeping the whole place warm, then why wouldn't he heat up the dancing room a bit? But there was no time to ponder about that; Sasha wanted to get back to the theatre as soon as possible. And as soon as Lana would be there, she and Dolores could continue looking for the gear. She grabbed the doorknob and twisted it; it was like holding a frozen snowball. She stepped in.

There was only one important thing that Aiden had forgotten to mention about the dancing room; it was absolutely freezing.

It was like the wintery cold from outside had somehow managed to find its way into the mansion and became trapped in this very room. Goose bumps appeared all over Sasha's arms, this time not being goose bumps of fright. The thin fabric of her bolero barely offered any warmth; she had to rub her arms in an attempt to make the cold a bit more bearable. While she was on the verge of chattering her teeth, she looked around her and quickly understand why it was so damn cold in the dancing room. Large mirrors, almost entirely covered in frost, were attached to the walls, giving anyone who gave it a shot at dancing a clear view on themselves. It would be an unwise idea to light up the candles of the chandelier that was hanging from the ceiling, since the material was entirely made of thick ice, which explained why it was so dimly-lit in here; the lights in the corridor were the only source of light. Between the mirrors were large pillars with huge ice sculptures of beautiful swans placed on top of it, their wings delicately folded together and their long necks bend into the form of a S.

But there was one person in here who didn't seemed to be bothered by the cold for one bit. Standing in the middle of the freezing dancing room, a ballerina stood on her tiptoes and elegantly twirling around. She looked like she was in her early thirties. Her long blonde hair was tied in a high bun. A small headpiece made of white feathers and pearls was stuck into the bottom of the bun, giving the hairstyle a more elegant look. Her lips were colored in a rose red shade. Short rows of white feathers acted as the sleeves of her snow-white ballerina dress, wherefrom the skirt looked like a whole cloud made of feathers. Her white ballerina-shoes were kept in place by the ribbons that were tightly wrapped around her ankles. Upon closer inspection, Sasha saw that her skin was entirely made of porcelain; no wonder she wasn't feeling any cold.

That had to be her, that had to be Lana.

But as soon as Sasha made another step towards her, the ballerina finally noticed her. She turned her head and glared at the magenta-haired woman; even though her eyes were green, they were just as cold as ice.

'Close that door!' she snarled. A clear Russian accent could be heard in her voice. 'Or else the warmth will get in!'

But Sasha ignored that request. 'Are you Lana?' she asked as she got closer to her.

' _Da_ , I am.' she curtly replied. 'You must be that visitor those pesky shadows have been talking about... but I do not care about your name. No, not one bit. What irritates me more than your unwelcome presence in our home is the fact that you have interrupted my practice!'

Dear God, they have just started talking and she was already giving her a headache... Sasha almost wanted to groan in annoyance, but she kept her composure. 'Look, I came here because Aiden and Simon asked me to.' she said. 'They are stressing out big time up there, they asked me to come pick you up. They are waiting for you, you know.'

Lana let out a contemptuous hum, lifted up her right leg and effortlessly twirled around on the tiptoes of her left leg. 'I know they are waiting for me.' she said. 'Do you think I am _glupyy_? I was about to leave when you came in. A real star always practices before she gets on stage, you should know that. No practice means failure and humiliation. I am a professional, always have been, always will be. Everybody here knows that I'm the most talented dancer and actress here. It is a pity that I will be always stuck here in this miserable mansion and can only perform here and here alone... but I'm happy that I got two roles in a show this time.'

'Oh yeah? Then who do you play as?' Sasha dearly hoped this stuck-up wench would shut up soon enough so that they could get out of this cold.

The ballerina stood down on the bottoms of her feet. 'Impatient, aren't we? But very well, I shall tell you... I will play as Charlotte and Dolores' mother.' Lana briefly paused to let a chuckle escape past her lips. 'If I may be honest, I find the latter quite humorous. I may be created from the girl's memories of the elegant side she could often see in her mother... but that woman would only be elegant if she wasn't busy with pleasuring her clients or fighting with that brutish pimp who she called her husband. And Charlotte... well, I think there is absolutely nothing elegant about that _urod_.'

'Wait, so... let me get this straight... that play will actually be about Dolores' past?'

'Exactly. Aiden and Simon found it so inspiring that they had to make a play about it...' Lana glanced at the floor while her mouth turned into a flat, horizontal line. 'It has always been about that girl...' she muttered.

'Look, Lana, I don't know if you've noticed it, but I'm freaking freezing over here. Let's get to the theatre before they have to start without you. And since you're such a professional... I don't think you would want that, do you?' There. With that comment, Sasha was sure that she would stop talking and come with here. But even though she had annoyed her with that arrogance of her for most of the time... she did make her more interested about that play for a reason.

The ballerina looked up at the magenta-haired woman and glared at her one more time. 'I do not like the tone in your voice for one bit...' she said. 'But since the play is about to start, I shall come with you. But do not dare to irritate me again, understood?'

'Yeah, sure.'

As she exited the dancing room along with Lana, Sasha was certain that this play was going to show a lot more about the white-haired girl's grim past.


	15. An Unexpected Ally

**Chapter 15**

 **An Unexpected Ally**

Now that Lana was walking next to her, Sasha could swear that she heard faint clicking coming from somewhere near her. At first she thought that Becky had left Daniel's bedroom and was about to join them (but not before probably tripping two or three times over her own feet), most likely with the gut-wrenching news that Brie had just now succumbed to the corruption of her garden and had left Daniel as an emotionally broken mess of a widower... but thankfully this wasn't the case. The magenta-haired woman looked around her, but the robotic maid wasn't anywhere in sight. But then where did that clicking noise come from? Glancing at the back of Lana's neck, Sasha quickly found out. She hadn't seen it before since the stuck-up ballerina had the ability to twirl around so fast, but there was a silver wind-up key sticking out of the back of her neck, slowly turning in a reverse clock-wise motion. The first thing that jumped into her mind was the theory that Lana was a robot, just like Becky, but seeing this reminded the magenta-haired woman of something that could possibly dismiss that idea. It had happened such a long time ago, but it was one of the few early childhood memories that she could remember. On her sixth birthday, her mother had given her a present that every little girl at that time would love to have. It was a pink jewelry box which had a tiny plastic ballerina with a blue tutu installed in it, which would turn around in circles whenever the box would be opened. A pretty melody would play along whenever the little ballerina would dance. Little Sasha absolutely loved that jewelry box, mainly because of the music, but what her mother didn't tell her was that she purchased her gift at a thrift shop. In less than a week, something broke inside the jewelry box, causing the ballerina and the music to forever stop functioning. Seeing her favorite toy being added to the trash made Sasha so sad, but what made her more sad for some reason was watching the waste collectors picking up the trash that early Monday morning, knowing damn well that the jewelry box was in one of those black, plastic, dirty bags. She remembered the roar of the garbage truck when it took off, the thick black cloud of gas the exhaust pipe vomited out and the strong urge to run after them to get her broken toy back, perhaps believing that it could be fixed. And yet she hadn't given into that urge... it was something she would regretted for a good month or two.

It looked like even when she wasn't dancing, Lana still wanted to show off her fine dancing skills. Not once did she stand down on the bottom of her feet when they were walking, like any human being would do. Instead, she constantly walked on her tiptoes, and even though the steps she made were small, they were fast enough to keep up with Sasha. The magenta-haired woman couldn't help but roll her eyes in mild annoyance. What's next, was she going to twirl as well? It was almost like her feet were permanently bend in that shape...

Sasha made sure that they kept a safe distance from the wall the entire time, still not convinced that it was safe yet to get a bit closer. She could already imagine one of Charlotte's many arms bursting through the wallpaper and grab one of them, or maybe both. No, it was most likely that the porcelain behemoth would prefer tearing Sasha to pieces, since Lana wasn't the one who had protected Dolores for almost the whole night and happened to punch through Charlotte's eye; the aforementioned being one more reason for her to slowly tear the magenta-haired woman apart or do God knows what else to her. But she wasn't afraid, she now had a weapon to defend herself with. Sure, the girandole probably wouldn't be enough to actually kill her, but if she would manage to strike one of her arms, there could be a possibility for her to run away. Even though Charlotte's entire body was made of porcelain, she could feel pain; this was proven when she destroyed one of her arms and her eye back in the playroom. That monster of a doll was nearly unstoppable, but when she would writhe in pain, it was the only chance for Sasha to escape and run to safety. But what if Charlotte would go after her when she came to her senses? Her pain doubled her rage and speed by tenfold, that was for sure. And this time, Dolores wasn't around to create a wall to hold her back... despite her determination to beat the living hell out of Charlotte if she happened to cross paths with her once more, the magenta-haired woman felt a chill running up her spine.

'I do not remember that wall standing there.' Lana suddenly said while pointing at the wall across the second floor that held back the growing corruption on the other side. 'What is the purpose of it? Did Dolores grow tired of playing with her silly toys? About time. She has been playing with those ridiculous toys for 121 years...'

Jesus Christ, she really had no idea. 'You... don't want to freaking know.' Sasha replied. If only she would know about the decay, putrid smell of death and those ooze-spewing hellspawns that were hiding behind that damn wall. Sasha had hoped that they had given up on their attempt to claw their way out of there, but this hope was shown to be in vain when she could still hear their scratching and faint snarling snarling in the distance.

'Hmpf.' The ballerina decided not to pay any more attention to the wall and looked back to the corridor in front of her. It made Sasha wonder if she would even care if she would tell her about the corruption that had ruined a big part of the west area of the mansion. No, she would probably be more focused on her big moment in the spotlights, or at least that's what the magenta-haired woman assumed. As soon as she would stand there on the stage in front of an audience that filled up half of all the seats there (or maybe even less) and dance until her feet would bleed, she would have most likely forgotten about that wall by then.

The two were halfway the east corridor, so far without any elongated porcelain arms emerging from the wall and reaching out for them. That was good, at least. Just a bit more and they would be back at the thea-

'Sasha... I can see you...'

It was like every drop of blood inside Sasha's veins froze in the blink of an eye, causing her to stop walking and stand completely still. Oh God. She knew that voice... and it was coming from her left. From inside the damn wall.

She was here.

The magenta-haired woman's mouth went dry as she forced herself not to glance to her left, convinced that she would stare right into Charlotte's emotionless remaining eye or the black void that was her eye socket. For a brief moment she expected dry doll hair to brush past her face, strongly resembling dry hay and permanently drenched in the stale, suffocating smell of dust, she could already imagine that sensation... but it didn't happen. Sasha clenched her fist around the girandole's thick handle with so much strength that it hurt, but she refused to show any fear to Charlotte. Being able to see her or not, if that porcelain freak show would think she was afraid of her, she would be wrong. So damn wrong.

It was like Charlotte knew what was going on inside the magenta-haired woman's head; she heard her let out a soft, mocking chuckle.

'Don't think you're the only one who heard her.' Lana said. She said this so sudden that Sasha had to look up. The ballerina didn't look frightened at all, merely annoyed to say the least. 'I do not know what you have done to catch Charlotte's attention, nor do I care. Your problems are not mine. I assume you can solve this by yourself, you are a grown woman. I have more important things to think about.'

Then, without giving the magenta-haired woman the chance to reply, Lana allowed a certain kind of magic inside her to flow to her arms, entirely coating them in a bright, white light. A nearly blinding flash followed, forcing Sasha to clench her eyes shut. When she opened them again, she saw an ability of the ballerina that would've astonished her if Charlotte wasn't around; her arms had transformed into a pair of snow white feathered wings. Swan wings... Lana made an elegant leap in the air, fluttered her newly formed wings and off she went, flying through the corridor and right to the door.

'Hey, what the hell?!' Sasha exclaimed indignantly. 'Get back here!' But Lana didn't bother to reply to her; the door closed behind her with a loud bang.

Now it was just her and Charlotte.

Oh good God in Heaven, she could feel her bloodthirsty gaze piercing into her soul, she could just feel it. A strange, slimy sound, sounding all too familiar to the one she heard near the wall that imprisoned the corrupted toys, forced her to look up. The magenta-haired woman tried to not let it get the better of her, but the sight made her heart skip a beat; at the same time, that putrid smell she had wished to forget filled up her nose. Thick black liquid, fresh and ready to fill up the corridor with the stench of decay, flowed down the wall in thick streams like rain flowing down a window, completely covering the wallpaper and lamps. Sasha knew what was coming, but she forced herself not to flee just yet; running would make Charlotte think she was scared, it was the reaction she wanted her victim to have. When the liquid touched the floor, it looked like it somehow got a mind of its own. The streams gathered together, forming a pool which quickly slithered in front of Sasha, two meters away from her. That's when the porcelain behemoth started to emerge. The magenta-haired woman watched in awe, but yet still refusing to show her horror, as a fifteen-feet tall doll emerged from the pool of black ooze, not one drop staining her porcelain body or a strand of her hair. Ooze spilled out of her empty eye socket. One by one, her remaining six arms emerged; what remained of the other two were pointy stumps. Not for one moment did Charlotte break her sight away from Sasha. When she was fully emerged from the ooze, the pool slowly disappeared in thin air, but it didn't take the stench away. Once again, her own height forced the goliath to be on her hands and knees.

If Sasha could squeeze her fist any harder, she would snap the handle of the girandole in half; but she still refused to run away.

'There you are... Surprised to see me?' Charlotte chuckled. 'I must admit, I am surprised that you have managed to stay alive for this long. And that while I haven't gone easy on you, oh no, not at all... but don't get your hopes up, you pathetic excuse of a human being. Don't think you can escape this time! Your luck has ran out at last! And soon, Dolores' lucky streak will end as well...'

'You stay the hell away from her!' Sasha shouted at her. 'Lay one finger on her and you're dead, you hear me Charlotte?! You are freaking dead!'

'Oh, you think Dolores is the victim here? The little, innocent, helpless girl who needs to be protected and pitied? You are such a damn fool... I suppose she hasn't told you, has she?'

'What do you mean?!'

'That's exactly what I thought. Hiding the truth so she can remain the victim, so predictable. Do you want to know what she has done? She locked me up!' Charlotte growled. 'Discarded me and forgot about me like a broken toy! After everything I have done for her! She locked me away and ignored me for 121 years. I was left to rot away in this prison of frozen time while she lived a happy life with those other creatures she brought to life, because apparently I wasn't good enough for her! She was like a daughter to me, I loved her that much... I can't forgive her and I never will! Not after what she has done to me 121 years ago! I'm not letting that little brat lock me up again. She has to be punished, she has to watch everything and everyone she loved be destroyed by her own imagination!'

Sasha glared at Charlotte and shook her head. 'That ain't going to happen...' she said. 'Not on my watch, you damn freak show.'

Letting out an infuriated grunt, the giant doll launched her first attack. From the corner of her right eye, the magenta-haired woman saw something large and white coming right at her and she knew exactly what it was. This was her chance to strike. Holding the handle of the girandole with both of her hands and making sure she wouldn't lose her balance, she prepared herself for the impact that was about to come. As Charlotte's hand was just three decimeters away from swatting her away, she swung the girandole with all the strength her body had, striking the porcelain with full force. The impact brought along an ear-deafening crash and made every muscle in her arms tremble with so much force that it became painful. As soon as Sasha saw pieces of porcelain flying past her face and heard Charlotte scream in pain like a banshee, she knew that her plan had succeeded. Nothing remained of the hand but a sharp, hollow stump.

'Damn you!' the giant doll yelled at the top of her non-existent lungs. She wasn't planning on letting the magenta-haired woman run away for a second. She raised a clenched fist high in the air before bringing it down in an attempt to crush Sasha and turn her into a gory stain on the floor. But the magenta-haired woman looked up just in time and saw what was coming to her. Just as the cold porcelain could touch her, she managed to duck away in time. Charlotte's fist hit the floor, causing the floor of the entire second floor to tremble. Right at that moment, Sasha saw another chance. She immediately got up, ran towards the fist and before Charlotte got the chance to pull it back, she hit it as hard as she could. Another ear-deafening crash followed as the porcelain was smashed into smithereens, followed by a spray of stark white shards. Another howl of pain could be heard from the fifteen-feet tall behemoth.

One look at the girandole and Sasha saw that her weapon had turned pretty much useless after two strikes. The object had been bent in a ninety degree angle due to the impacts, if she would use it once more it would definitely snap in half. She looked up and spotted Charlotte cradling her shattered arm, still groaning in agonizing pain and cursing the magenta-haired woman under her breath.

She had inflicted enough damage on her; she had to run like hell, now!

Sasha turned around and was about to run away, planning to run down the stairs and hide in the kitchen or the dining room... but turning her back to a monster like Charlotte turned out to be a huge mistake.

She could only make five steps before something cold and hard wrapped around her entire waist, clenching down with so much force that it felt like her organs were being pushed up to her torso. Completely caught by surprise, she inadvertently dropped the bent girandole. Sasha widened her eyes and shrieked, knowing damn well what had gotten her. It was one of Charlotte's remaining hands, it had to be. Oh God, no, no! Her heart raised up to her head and it felt like its beat doubled by tenfold as she attempted to break free from the porcelains behemoth's grip by pounding on it with her fists, but to no avail. Before she got the chance to try again, she was effortlessly lifted up in the air. Cold sweat ran down Sasha's temples as Charlotte pulled her closer to her; in less than three seconds later, the magenta-haired woman was forced to look right at the porcelain face that would forever haunt her nightmares.

Seeing her own faint reflection in the giant doll's pupil made Sasha's stomach drop to her feet in an instant, as she realized that this could very well be the end of the line for her; she had never felt like small before in her entire life.

'You will pay for that!' Charlotte hissed angrily. Then her other two hands grabbed Sasha's arms, clenching them so tightly that the magenta-haired woman felt an agonizing pressure on her muscles and bones. She yelped in pain and tried once more to break free, but her arms wouldn't budge under Charlotte's death grips. Simply snapping her arms like toothpicks wouldn't be enough to satisfy her rage; chuckling with sadistic glee, the porcelain behemoth began pulling them, slowly adding more strength. Feeling the pain increase as her muscles were stretched beyond her pain tolerance and her shoulders were getting closer to popping out of their sockets, Sasha clenched her teeth to prevent herself of screaming in pain; she knew it would only amuse Charlotte. She felt like a helpless bug being pulled apart by an eerily curious child. That was all she was to her, a puny, meaningless, pathetic object to be torn to pieces; just like she was to her bullies.

Was this it for her? If so... then she still wouldn't show any signs of pain whatsoever for that freak show's amusement. A few more seconds and her arms would be torn off as if they were made of paper. Sasha tightly clenched her teeth and slammed her eyes shut, preparing herself for the ungodly pain that would follow...

In the blink of an eye, Charlotte's head was suddenly swallowed up by a sea of fire; the flames emitted such an intense heat that it hurt Sasha's face. The bloodcurdling scream the porcelain devil let out was loud enough to make her ears ring. The magenta-haired woman carefully opened her eyes, closing them briefly due to the heat, but as they grew accustomed to it, she dared to open them once more. The inferno was so bright and thick, she couldn't spot a single feature on Charlotte's flame-engulfed face. A horrible stench filled up Sasha's nose when the locks of doll hair caught fire, rapidly turning them into fire. The agonizing pressure was immediately lifted from her arms when Charlotte let go of her. Sasha dropped to the floor with a painful thud and looked up, not sure whether she should feel shock or pure relief. The giant doll had turned into a towering inferno with a humanoid shape, the remaining arms on her back resembled the branches of a tree that was caught in a raging wildfire. Still screaming in agonizing pain, Charlotte wildly flailed her arms around, as if she was trying to put out the flames like this. But it seemed like the more she moved, the harder she burned. Unable to remove her gaze from this horrific sight, Sasha was convinced that Charlotte's screams could be heard all the way in the theatre; Daniel, Brie, Becky and Oliver must hear them right now as well, but she couldn't turn her head to see if they were outside the faun's bedroom to witness this sight. Deep scratches and holes were left in the wall and floor as a result of a burning Charlotte's struggle to put out the flames. Then her screams suddenly became softer and softer, until only whimpering could be heard. The burned goliath collapsed to the floor, but not before letting out a shuddering groan of pain. As soon as her body touched the wood, the flames disappeared into thin air in the blink of an eye, leaving their target as a smoldering, cracked, motionless mess. Her remaining eye slowly rolled into the back of her head.

Silence fell like a brick wall on the second floor of the enchanted mansion.

Sasha expected Charlotte to get up again and attack her once again at any moment, but nothing happened. Not one sign of life... The magenta-haired woman let out a loud, trembling sigh of relief. Thank God, oh, thank God... But where the hell did that fire come from? That was the only question that went through her mind now. Then she heard footsteps approaching her, passing by Charlotte's smoldering body.

Sasha dropped her jaw in sheer disbelief.

'Kane...?!' she exclaimed breathlessly.

It was him. Red mask, black suit with red, messy stitches, that piercing blue eye... It was that exact same short-tempered loner in the boiler room that had tried to burn her in the beginning of her stay. The magenta-haired woman barely could believe her eyes. Kane walked towards her, kicking away a piece of porcelain with his black boot in the process. The magenta-haired woman's mouth slightly trembled, she wanted to ask so many damn questions, but not one managed to escape past her lips.

'Are you alright?' he asked when he stood in front of Sasha. The tall man with the red mask then reached out his hand to her. He wanted to help her getting up... Her arms were still sore, but thankfully she could still move them; without hesitation, Sasha accepted the gesture. Kane pulled her back up on her feet.

'W-Why did you help me?' Sasha asked. 'I thought you listened to Dolores, I-I don't get it...'

'That's exactly what I did.' Kane replied. 'Dolores summoned me to the theater to ask me to keep an eye on you. When I left, I heard that doll... that's when I figured you were in trouble. If I had arrived a minute later you would probably be dead by now.'

'You could be right about that...' Sasha gently squeezed her painful shoulder. 'But hey... thanks a lot, Kane. Seriously...'

'It is my duty to listen to Dolores' commands... and I have to say, I have realized that you are much more than a guest to her if she asks me to do something like this. She... must really care about you. I suppose I have misjudged you. Dolores must have seen something inside there that I didn't.' The tall man briefly pointed at the magenta-haired woman's chest. 'It takes a lot of courage to take on someone like Charlotte. I respect you for that. To fight her all on your own... it's suicide. But you did it anyway. I know for who that devil is out for and I would burn her for all eternity for that. Hopefully my fire has been strong enough to take her down, I have used all my energy and strength to make it as lethal as possible. Like I said, you had the courage to fight Charlotte all by yourself to defend our little princess... and I can't respect you enough for that.' Then Kane reached out with his hand to Sasha once more. 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'

She could barely believe that these words were coming from the mouth of the man who had treated her with so much hostility a few hours ago... but it didn't take her gratefulness away nonetheless. Sasha chuckled and firmly shook Kane's large hand. 'Thank you so much!' she answered, sincerely meaning it. 'Look, I have to go now, I promised Dolores I would get back as soon as I got Lana to move her feathered butt to the theatre.'

The masked loner crooked the corner of his mouth into a smirk and chuckled, possibly amused by that remark. 'I understand. Go, she's waiting for you.'

Sasha gave him a nod and took off, eager to tell the white-haired girl that Charlotte's reign of terror was finally over.


	16. The Tale Of The Little Princess

**Chapter 16**

 **The Tale Of The Little Princess**

A strong whiff of popcorn and roasted peanuts greeted Sasha when she arrived in the lobby of the theatre; it was the first thing she smelled. She noticed that the smell had grown stronger since the first time that she discovered this part of the mansion and she quickly found out why. Looking at the carpet, the magenta-haired woman could spot small heaps of popcorn here and there. Someone had been clumsy enough to drop a full paper bag of peanuts. The red doors were now fully opened, allowing a volley of murmuring to flow into the theatre's lobby. It looked like the visitors for the play had arrived at last. And judging from the volume of the murmuring, Sasha assumed that Aiden's and Simon's newest show had attracted quite a number of interested attendants. This could say a lot about the talent of those two guys... who knows, maybe a visit at their self-proclaimed masterpiece would be worth a shot.

It felt like a huge weight had been lifted off Sasha's shoulders. The last time where she didn't feel the urge to look over her shoulder was in the garden, moments before Charlotte had destroyed it. Even though the porcelain behemoth was literally a few meters behind her, she didn't look behind once to see if she still had enough life inside her to strike one more attack. She was dead, she had to be; no living being could possibly survive an absolute beast of a blaze like that. Not in a million years did the magenta-haired woman expect Kane, out of all residents of this freaking mansion, to be the one to save her from being torn apart by Charlotte. He absolutely despised her from the moment she dared to set foot in his boiler room, so much that he was willing to burn her to make her go away... and yet he used all of his strength to create a powerful blast of fire to save her. The masked loner clearly didn't want to show it to her, but she could easily see the immense tiredness in his eyes, that was something that his mask couldn't hide. As much as Sasha appreciated Kane's help, she knew that he didn't do this because he had taken a liking to her in the first place; if Dolores had never asked him to keep an eye on her, her arms would've been ripped from her torso by now, or even worse... But the way Dolores had spoken about Sasha had sparked something inside Kane. It was like he had said earlier; he had developed a high level of respect for her. The enemy of his enemy was his friend... and just like that, the magenta-haired woman had earned herself a valuable ally. She owed Kane one, big time, she would be forever grateful to him for saving her life.

Who knew she would ever shake hands with the likes of him... that thought made Sasha briefly chuckle.

It was time to snap out of her thoughts and make her way inside the theatre; Dolores was waiting there, probably worried sick about her. Sasha walked towards the open doors and was about to pass through them when an unfamiliar voice made her stop dead in her tracks.

'Ticket, please!' could be heard from the ticket booth.

The magenta-haired woman turned her head to the left and saw that the shutters from the ticket booth had been rolled up. A shadow had entered it, sitting down behind an antique cash register with golden buttons. The shadow stared right back at her and shaped a part of its body into an arm, using it to gesture at her.

'No ticket, no show.' it said.

'Oh, right... here you go.' Sasha quickly walked to the ticket booth, pulled the ticket out of the pocket of her pants and handed it over to the shadow.

'Enjoy the show, madam.'

* * *

Sasha hardly could believe her own eyes when she gazed into the theatre. Everywhere she looked, in every single seat, was a shadow. It was like a sea of beady eyes, all focused on the stage in front of them, it was impossible to count them all. Crunching popcorn or peanuts could be heard from different distances, occasionally laughter could be heard as well. It was absolutely incredible and crazy at the same time (or both) how many shadows decided to stay a bit longer despite the fact that Charlotte was slowly destroying it with her corruption, just to see some play... were Aiden and Simon really that good? And would those shadows head to Kane's boiler room as soon as the play would be over or would they decide to stay in the mansion anyway? Hopefully for them it wouldn't be the latter, the magenta-haired would hate to see something happen to them. Yes, they were way too curious but in some strange way, they were so adorable... they didn't deserve to become victims of the corruption.

Looking left and right, Sasha tried to catch a glimpse of Dolores, but she didn't see any head with short white hair in these first rows. She had to be here, hopefully Aiden and Simon didn't let her run off. As she walked down, the magenta-haired woman continued to look around her, but all she saw were rows of shadows, who did not seem to notice her at all; all sights were focused on the closed curtains that shielded the stage. There was so many conversations going on at once, she couldn't exactly figure out what they were talking about. It was like they weren't frightened for one bit by the current, dreadful situation, but then again, right now they didn't have to fear anything anymore, now that Sasha thought about it. Charlotte was now nothing more but a lifeless smoldering heap of burst porcelain with burnt hair, they didn't even have to leave anymore. Sasha was pretty sure that they didn't know about this yet, but she would do Dolores a great favor by telling her this.

'Sasha! Over here!' an all too familiar voice called out at the very last row of seats. The magenta-haired woman looked up in surprise and saw the head of a little girl with white hair sticking out behind a seat. When she knew that she had caught her attention, Dolores smiled broadly and waved at her. Sasha smiled back at her and quickly made her way to the front row.

'Thank goodness, you're here!' the little girl cheerfully exclaimed when the magenta-haired woman arrived. She patted on red velvet of an empty seat next to her. 'I saved a spot for you.'

'Thank you!' Sasha gladly accepted the offer and sat down; she was surprised by how comfortable this seat actually was, it was like sitting on thick, soft foam.

'Did something happen while you looked for Lana?' Dolores asked.

'Well yeah, about that...' Looked like this was the right moment to tell her. 'Charlotte did find me, but... I don't think she's going to be a threat to us anymore. Kane has burnt her, to put it lightly. I stuck around a little while to make sure she wouldn't get up and... I think it's safe to say that you don't have to search for the gear any further. It's done, Dolores. Charlotte won't be hurting you or anyone else.'

She saw the entire expression on the little girl's face change. The corners of her mouth turned into a flat line and a saddened look could be seen in her eyes. 'I see...' she said with a soft voice and stared at the carpet. Sasha somehow expected her to say something else, but Dolores' mouth remained closed. This was not the reaction she had expected. She looked so sad... but why? She knew Charlotte was out to hurt her, to control her like a puppet and force her to destroy her own home, and yet Dolores behaved like a dear friend of hers had died. But it did make sense, however. The magenta-haired woman remembered how she talked about her when she found her in the theatre. Despite all the horrible things she had done to her, Charlotte would forever remain her first real friend and mother figure in Dolores' eyes. You can't take precious memories about one certain person, everyone knew that; up until this night, Sasha had pretty much forgotten about that.

Just as the magenta-haired woman wanted to put her hand on her shoulder for comfort, the light in the theatre strongly dimmed, catching everybody's attention, including Dolores'. Sasha saw her quickly blinking her eyes, like she was pushing away her tears, which she successfully managed to do. The shadows were finally going to see for which they paid good money for; clapping could be heard from all directions, echoing through the entire theatre. The show was about to begin.

'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and shadows of all ages!' Aiden's booming voice announced with pride. Right on that moment, a bright spotlight, white and round like a full moon, shone upon the stage. It revealed Aiden, standing there with a huge, old-fashioned version of a megaphone in his hands, holding it close to his mouth. The expression on his mask was twisted into one of sheer happiness. An upbeat tune of a piano that would fit with any play stemming from the Victorian era could be heard.

'Gather around for the most exquisite, elegant and artistic sight you shall ever behold in your lives!' Simon said, his voice was just as loud as Aiden's. Another spotlight was aimed to the stage, revealing him. Just like his companion, he was holding a megaphone and his mask showed the same expression.

'What you are about to see shall forever stick with you, yes, it shall even follow you in your very dreams!' Aiden said.

'For this is the incredible, but heart-wrenching story of someone very dear, someone who we are all familiar with...' Simon filled in. Right on that moment, the entire tone of the upbeat piano music changed, becoming melodramatic in an instant.

'It is a tale of heartbreak! Betrayal! Powerlessness! But also, at some moments... one of joy.'

'So, ladies and gentlemen! Simon...'

'And Aiden...'

'Proudly present to you, our most magnificent masterpiece until now, the artistic representation of the past of none other than our beloved Dolores Fitzgerald... 'The Tale Of The Little Princess!'

Another wave of applause rolled through the theatre, but Sasha was the only one who was clapping her hands. Dolores did that, however. The magenta-haired woman had the strong feeling that her mind wasn't entirely with the play, though, and she could easily guess why. Aiden and Simon quickly made their way off the stage. From the moment they got off, the thick curtains parted, ready to reveal what kind of masterpiece the two directors had in store for their curious visitors. It became quickly clear to Sasha and everyone else that the first scene was taking place in what looked like the most depressing children's bedroom in the world. Stage props of a bed, wardrobe and toy box were put on different places. What fueled the effect of making everyone believe that they were looking at a children's bedroom was the painted background, which was a wooden wall. Kneeling on an old blanket in the middle of the stage was a shadow, shaped into a humanoid form to represent a little girl. The shadow was dressed in a red dress with long sleeves, white socks and brown boots. A short red wig was put on her head and a single large, red ribbon on top of her head finished the costume.

This is how Dolores looked like 121 years ago, Sasha realized; goose bumps appeared all over her arms. Then she saw what 'Dolores' was cradling in her arms... it was a doll made from white porcelain, with long blonde hair, blue eyes and blood red lips. She was dressed in a sky blue dress with white frills on her the ends of her long sleeves and skirt, and brown boots.

Charlotte...

While she gently brushed her doll's hair, 'Dolores' sighed sadly, loud enough for the entire crowd to hear.

'It happened again today, Charlotte...' she said. 'I messed up... I was daydreaming and knocked over my glass during dinner. Father immediately started calling me horrible names, the stench of his breath almost suffocated me when he pulled me close to his face. He had been drinking, Charlotte, he had been drinking since the morning. Of course I couldn't count on Mother's help, she was shouting just as loudly as Father. She slapped me so hard that I thought my cheek caught fire. Can I tell you a secret, Charlotte? Do you promise not to tell anyone?' The shadowy actress briefly paused her dialogue to make the doll nod with her 'hands'. 'You know... I don't think Father is my real father at all. I mean... he and Mother both have blonde hair. Her eyes are green, his are blue. They never tell me and I don't think they ever will, but I think my real father must have been one of those men Mother takes to her bedroom all the time...'

A brief silence fell as 'Dolores' stared at 'Charlotte'.

'Yes, you are correct...' she then said. 'I should cheer up. After all, I'm talking to you now, right? Let's not talk about Father and Mother anymore. You want to know what I've been daydreaming about during dinner? I know they hate it so much when I do that, Father always calls me an useless brat when it happens, but... it's just so pleasant, you know? It's an escape. You can create things in your mind that aren't there and can never exist, but sometimes, they do feel real to me. So, you want to know? I pictured a flight of tiny elephants, you know, like the ones I saw in a book once, with white wings, flying through the ro-'

Right on that moment, a couple could be heard fighting off-stage, shouting at each other from the top of their lungs. 'Dolores' stood up with a bit of a frightened look in her eyes. 'Oh no... what are they arguing about now?' she wondered out loud.

This was the signal for the curtain to be drawn closed. Rummaging could be faintly heard behind the thick material. Nobody in the crowd spoke a single word, everyone seemed to be captivated by the story so far. Sasha was one of the many silent visitors. Even though she didn't say anything, she could feel her heart slowly splitting in two more and more by the second.

Oh God, no, poor Dolores...

She glanced to her right to see how the white-haired girl was keeping up, but was surprised to see little to no emotion on her face.

Then the curtain parted once more, revealing that the children's bedroom had changed into a filthy-looking kitchen or living room. The background was simply one big ugly shade of yellow. A table with two chairs was placed in the middle of the stage, which were occupied by a humanoid-shaped shadow and Lana. The shadow was dressed in a more manly fashion, wearing a white buttoned-up shirt with rolled up sleeves, a pair of black suspenders and a pair of brown trousers. His hand was wrapped around a bottle of what looked like whiskey. Lana was dressed in a white corset, long dark-red dress, black stockings and black shoes with high heels. These two must be Dolores' parents, Sasha realized while a chill ran up her spine. 'Dolores' stood on the far left side on the stage and her 'parents' didn't notice her at all, they were too caught up in their furious bickering.

'Why can't we ask a higher price?' her 'mother' shouted with a very well hidden Russian accent. 'Don't you realize how rich that architect is? We will waste the best opportunity we will ever have if we ask for a lower amount of money! As long as that little wench can keep her mouth shut after he will be done with her, I don't have to spread my freaking legs for maybe five years or so and you can have all the damn whiskey you want! We could pay the debts! Damn it, I promised that architect he could have her!'

'Are you deaf, you stupid cow?!' the 'father' shouted back at her. 'He will never pay us fifty-thousand dollars for one night with that retarded brat, even if it will be her first time! Two-thousand at most, not that! You delusional bi-'

'Coward! You don't have the guts to ask him that price because you are worthless excuse of a man!'

'Shut the hell up!'

In the blink of an eye, the 'father' pulled a fake knife out of his pocket and leaned forward and drove the blade into her neck, but at the same time, missing her neck by less than a five millimeters. Lana widened her eyes in a mix of pure shock and pain, slightly tilting her head so that the blade was clenched between a neck and her shoulder. She made gurgling noises and clawed at the blade, pretending to be drowning in her own blood. Her body slumped to the right and fell to the ground with a loud thud. 'Dolores'' 'father' slowly stood up and watched his 'wife' 'die' without saying a single word. Lana's body slightly jolted before she laid completely still; an award-worthy performance. That was the cue for 'Dolores' to gasp. She was still holding 'Charlotte' in her arms, firmly pressing the doll against her body in fear. Alarmed by this noise, her 'father' immediately turned around.

'D-Dolores...' he stuttered. 'We're you woken up by us? Come on now, w-what's with the frightened look on your face? Don't be... uh... Your mother is just sleeping, that's all. Daddy didn't hurt her, no need to be scared... What about a hug, Dolores?' He started to slowly walked towards her, his arms slightly spread and reaching out for her. 'It's alright baby girl, I am your father. I love you, I would not ever hurt you. Come here...'

His 'daughter' didn't say anything, only staring at him in silence. But after her made three more steps, she seemingly found her voice back. 'No!' she screamed at the top of her lungs before she turned around and ran away as fast as she could. In the blink of an eye, her 'father's' whole demeanor changed.

'Dolores! Get back here, you little brat! Come back, right now!' he furiously shouted. Then he ran after her, which gave yet another signal for the curtains to be closed.

It was so quiet in the theatre that you could hear a piece of popcorn falling to the floor. Sasha suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder; when she looked to her right, she found out that this hand belonged to Dolores.

'For a moment I truly believed that he was going to embrace me...' the white-haired girl whispered. 'But then I saw that his hands were aimed at my throat.'

With those words, Sasha's heart was completely ripped in two. Tears were burning in her eyes, but she refused to let them spill. Instead, she lightly bit her lower lip and suppressed a trembling sigh. The magenta-haired woman managed to hold her tears back by rapidly blinking her eyes. She had no idea what to feel, everything came all at once; rage, sadness and shock.

After a short period of time, it was time for the next scene to begin. The curtains parted once more. Thankfully it looked like 'Dolores' had escaped her 'father', because the scenery depicted a huge forest at night, with dark green pine trees and a dark sky. The pine tree stage props were placed on different spots and Sasha could tell that they had been freshly painted, but at least the damage was gone. 'Dolores' ran onto the stage and stopped dead in her tracks in the middle, hunching her upper body forward and shallowly breathing with 'Charlotte' still clutched in her arms, pretending to be out of breath.

'We've lost him, Charlotte.' she panted while she looked around her. 'It's safe now. I didn't look behind me once, not even when we left town. I... I can't believe Father would try to do this to me... But where are we? Oh no, I didn't pay any attention at all... and it's getting darker... who knows, maybe there could be wolves or bears out here...'

Loud, deep, rapid rumbling of a drum, an impressive impression of rolling thunder, echoed through the theatre. 'Dolores' looked up and miserably whimpered. 'It's going to storm at any moment... and there's nowhere I can hide! Oh Charlotte, what did I get myself into...?!' The shadowy actress began to walk around the stage, desperately trying to catch a glimpse of any kind of place where she could hide from the upcoming rain storm. The deep rumbling of the drum held on the entire time. Then, while letting out a gasp of surprise, 'Dolores' stopped walking.

'I... I think I see a mansion!' she cheerfully exclaimed. 'Maybe someone could be home, Charlotte! Come on, let's see!'

When 'Dolores' ran across the stage and out of sight, the curtains once again were drawn shut. Less than a minute later, the crowd was introduced to the following scene, which showed something quite heartbreaking. The lush woods had made place for a large, old, wooden wall with gaping holes and thick cracks, showing nothing more but darkness. 'Dolores' was now lying on the floor, her body shivering from the 'cold' and curled into a fetus position, but she still refused to let go of her precious doll. Water began to drip from the ceiling, further fueling the illusion that her hideout was far from good enough to hide from the elements. Sasha saw 'Dolores'' beady eyes squeezing shut as she let out a trembling sigh.

'It's hopeless...' she sobbed. 'We have nowhere to go, it's just you and I, Charlotte. We have been hiding here in this abandoned mansion for three days and the storm still won't subside. I have never been this hungry in my entire life and I'm freezing cold. My dress is soaked, I've got nothing else to wear. My stomach feels like it's rotting away, but I'm too scared to go outside. I can't do anything because I'm weak and scared. What if Father finds me when I go out to find food? Father and Mother were right... I am worthless. We have nowhere else to go, we're all alone. Charlotte, I'm doomed to starve to death here with you in my arms. I... I would do anything for a slice of chocolate cake right now... sweet, soft texture, a bit of whipped cream on top... oh no, I shouldn't say those foolish things!'

Somewhere out of sight from the entire crowd, Aiden thought that it was time for a very important piece of monologue. 'Little did the little princess know how much her loneliness, fear, sadness and powerlessness were actually growing when it came to power...' he spoke. 'These emotions grew beyond their limits, found each other in this very mansion and accumulated, creating something that is out of this world. Something truly extraordinary... because when powerful, negative emotions gather in one place, a magical spell is born. Sometimes it presents itself as a terrible curse, other times as a beautiful blessing. And for Dolores Fitzgerald... it just happened to be the latter.'

Suddenly, a small, hidden hatch opened in the stage's floor; a piece of chocolate cake on a plate was quickly put there before the hatch closed. 'Dolores' looked up, spotted the tasty treat and blinked her beady eyes in surprise.

'W-What...?' she said with a soft voice. 'Is... Is that cake? But how? How is this possible? I imagined it just a few seconds ago and now it's here, how can that be?! That's impossible! But... it does look really delicious...' She grabbed the slice and carefully took a bite with a non-existent mouth, but Sasha could clearly see a piece of the slice disappearing. 'It really is chocolate cake!' the shadowy actress exclaimed in joy. 'My goodness, I can't believe it, Charlotte! I imagined it and it just appeared out of nowhere! This is amazing! Wait... if I can create chocolate cake... then maybe I can create other things! Hold on, let me think...'

It looked like they were hidden hatches everywhere on the stage. They were opened on different places to give access to more delicious snacks like cookies, pudding, popcorn, cotton candy and pieces of chocolate, all while the upbeat tune of the piano played along once more. 'Dolores', overjoyed by her newfound power, took her time to take a bite of each treat; all of them were confirmed to be real, judging from her pleased hums after each bite.

Then, when she was about to take another bite from one of the cookies, her attention was shifted to 'Charlotte'. She stared at the doll for a brief moment, not saying anything... it was like she was getting an idea. The shadowy actress suddenly dropped the cookie, walked towards her beloved toy and kneeled down. She closed her eyes and didn't move, deeply focused and concentrating on something.

Something much different than simply creating sweet treats...

Another hatch, much larger than the other ones, was opened underneath 'Charlotte', causing the doll to fall down. A flurry of blue and blinding sparkles emerged from the hatch in the blink of an eye and elegantly landed on the stage on the tips of her toes. When Sasha saw what, or rather, who it actually was, she almost dropped her jaw in amazement. It was Lana, dressed in the most beautiful gown she had ever seen in her entire life. The blue, slightly transparent material was almost entirely covered with small diamonds, all of which sparkled like the brightest stars in the spotlight that was shone upon her. A wave of amazed 'Oooooh's' and 'Aaaaah's' filled the theatre. The actress/ballerina knew that all eyes were on her and she clearly enjoyed every second of it, smiling broadly as she remained perfectly balanced on the toes of her right foot. One thing was for sure; her stunningly beautiful gown would be the subject that would be talked most about after the play would end. Sasha realized that this is how Charlotte must've looked like 121 years ago. She had once looked stunning and elegant, unlike the monster of a doll she was now. How the hell did it come to that? The magenta-haired woman was sure that this play would provide her with an answer...

'Dolores...' 'Charlotte' said, her voice softened by amazement. 'You... You brought me to life... But how...?'

'I... I imagined you as a person...' 'Dolores' replied, barely believing her own eyes. 'I focused hard enough, I thought about every detail... and it worked! I can't believe it worked!'

'Oh Dolly...' Lana leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her fellow actress, pulling her in for a hug.

And that's when Sasha saw it.

It was right there, hidden between the feathers and pearls of her headpiece. It had been there all along most likely... the magenta-haired woman felt like such an idiot for not being able to spot it before, but now thanks to the spotlight, she clearly saw it. She wasn't sure whether Dolores was seeing it, but that didn't matter, because she did.

The gear. It was that one gear they had been searching for God knows how many hours that was placed in Lana's headpiece, now visible between the feathers and pearls, shining in the bright light of the spotlight.

Sasha could feel her jaw dropping as her heart skipped a beat. Oh God... it had been Lana, all this time. That damn gear had been in front of her the entire time during the play and she didn't even see it until now! She had hidden it from them during this whole nightmarish night, knowing that Charlotte was on the loose... but she didn't say or do anything to stop the corruption. But why? This place was her home, just like it is to the other residents. Why, damn it, why?! That was the only question that went through Sasha's mind now; her focus on the play had immediately died when she saw what was hidden in that headpiece.

The treacherous ballerina didn't realize for one second that she had accidently revealed her secret to the magenta-haired woman. She let go of 'Dolores' and stared at her with a fake loving look in her eyes.

'What do you say if we give this mansion some new life... and make this our home?' she asked.

The beady eyes of 'Dolores' sparkled with joy. 'Yes!' she exclaimed, nodding excitedly. 'I would love to!'

That was yet another signal for the curtains to be drawn closed once again, but this time, something different happened. Another spotlight was aimed on the curtains as Aiden and Simon entered the stage; the expressions on their masks hadn't changed the slightest, they were that proud.

'Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for a well-deserved, much-needed break!' Aiden announced, his voice once more amplified by the megaphone. 'We shall continue this thrilling tale after fifteen minutes!'

'Please, feel free to leave your seats and head to the lobby! Delicious refreshments are made for you there!' Simon said. 'There is popcorn and peanuts! And please don't jump the queue at the commodes.'

Fresh popcorn and a toilet break were the last things that was on Sasha's mind. She stood up and stared at the stage, knowing that Lana must be backstage. While she stood up, she grabbed Dolores' arm, which caught the white-haired girl by surprise.

'Sasha, what's the matter?' she asked. 'Do you want to go to the lobby? You can wait here, I will get-'

'I found the gear, Dolores.' the magenta-haired woman said. 'Lana has it. Come on, let's go.'

It was time for one hell of a confrontation.


	17. Cracked Porcelain

**Chapter 17**

 **Cracked Porcelain**

Aiden and Simon seemed to be way too distracted by patting each other on the shoulders and commenting about how smoothly their self-proclaimed masterpiece of a play was going despite the fact that the spiteful abomination that was Charlotte still roaming free in the mansion (they had absolutely no idea what had occurred on the second floor, they were too caught up in fixing the damaged stage props) to notice Sasha and Dolores sneaking onto the stage, which was fine with the magenta-haired woman. But even if they would them and bombard them with questions, she would've still gone backstage anyway. No, they didn't have to worry about her touching the fixed stage props or the costumes that were made for this very night, but what they did have to worry about was the confrontation that was bound to happen with their main star. Would Aiden and Simon still continue the show if Lana would confess that she really did have something to do with Charlotte's escape? If they were sane enough and swallow their pride for once, they wouldn't, but Sasha had the strong feeling that this wasn't going to happen. Lana looked like the kind of person who would deny this accusation on the spot, but there was no way in deny the fact that she had a certain gear tucked away between the feathers and pearls of her headpiece.

Sasha couldn't help but briefly wonder about how Dolores could react to this. Not once did she mention that she suspected anyone of the residents to have something to do with the key that had kept Charlotte locked away in some prison for 121 years. The white-haired child trusted everybody here (even Charlotte, at least, at one point), because this was her family. They were the loving, warm, stable family that she never had before her new life in the mansion began, they meant everything to her. But why did this happen after only 121 years?

Well, they were going to find about that soon enough, one way or another.

Sasha kind of felt bad for dragging Dolores with her to the confrontation, but at the same time she felt like she had the right to know this. After all, the safety of everybody here, including hers of course, had been put in great jeopardy because of it. Daniel was on the verge on becoming a widower. Most of the shadows would much rather leap into Kane's flame-spewing boiler than staying here. Dolores had been attacked twice and almost killed once. The little girl's beloved toys and the beautiful creatures in the garden had turned into demonic abominations that you would find in the darkest pits of Hell. Lana was partially responsible for all this misery; Sasha would throw that fact right into her face.

The smell of lavender had grown weaker when they passed through the curtains. The magenta-haired woman remembered Dolores asked her what she meant when she gently pulled her up from her seat and took her with her, but she hadn't bothered to answer at all. Her mind was set on finding Lana and confronting her right on that moment, the white-haired girl would soon see about what she meant. Dolores needed to know this. As heartbreaking as it was for her and possibly everyone else, the truth had to be revealed. Lana was much more than a cold diva; she was a traitor with a heart that was probably even colder than the icy swan sculptures in her dancing room.

As they both entered the backstage, Sasha's eyes darted from left to right, trying to catch a glimpse of Lana. She had to be here... unless she had run off to hide the gear somewhere else. The backstage had become more livelier since the first time the magenta-haired woman had visited it. More shadowy actors could be found here, either practicing their lines, looking at themselves in large mirrors or talking with each other. Amused laughter could be heard from the actor who played Dolores' abusive excuse of a father, who was sitting on the wooden floor with two other actors who were dressed as Becky and Daniel; the latter had two neatly crafted wooden horns attached to the sides of its head. A shadow who donned a look that closely resembled Brie's was drinking a glass of water, probably to ease the nervousness. Maybe it was a rookie, who knows. Little did this happy bunch of pipsqueaks know that there was a traitor amongst them, my goodness, they really had no idea.

But Sasha knew better and soon Dolores would as well.

Then the magenta-haired woman spotted the only human being (or at least resembled one) on this part of the stage. There she was, on the far left, almost out of sight of everyone else. Lana was sitting in front of an antique dressing table which was most likely put there for her alone, where a huge bouquet of gorgeous white roses and lilies, possibly a gift from a fan or a secret admirer, was laid there. The ballerina didn't feel Sasha's eyes on her for a second, looking at herself in the dressing table's oval-shaped mirror with confidence. Not a strand of hair had come loose from her bun, not one smear of lipstick could be seen below her lower lip. The long lower part of her gown was spread over the floor like the train of a bride's dress. She was the most beautiful performer tonight and she knew that, judging by the way she looked at her own reflection.

It was like Lana thought that nobody knew about her dark secret... but she would be so wrong about that.

Only when she heard footsteps approaching her, the ballerina snapped out of her vanity-fueled thoughts. Annoyance could be seen on her face when Sasha walked towards her, but when the magenta-haired woman saw her look shifting to Dolores, she saw the expression on Lana's face slightly change. Her eyes were cold with mild annoyance at first... now they were freezing cold with restrained frustration. The brief twitch of the left corner of her mouth sealed the deal.

'You have no manners, do you?' Lana asked, shifting her attention back to Sasha. 'Backstage is for performers only! You can have an autograph when the show-'

'You let Charlotte escape.' Sasha said, making sure that her voice sounded dead serious. Even though she hadn't said this that loud, it was apparently loud enough to draw the attention of some actors. A few pairs of beady eyes were gazing at her, but the magenta-haired woman didn't feel one thing of it at this moment. 'It had been you this entire time!'

Even though Sasha had interrupted her, not an ounce of emotion could be spotted on the ballerina's face... she was completely unmoved by the accusation that had been thrown at her feet now. She folded her arms and stared right back at Lana, the look in her eyes seemingly growing colder by the second. During this time, Dolores hadn't said anything yet, but the look on her face said it all; she couldn't believe what she was hearing.

'Oh? And what exactly makes you say that?' the ballerina asked. 'Unless you have any proof, I don't think anyone here shall believe you. And I don't see anything in your hands. Please, stop making a _durachit_ out of yourself and go back to the lobby to stuff yourself with that disgustingly sweet, caloric garbage. You have absolutely nothing.'

This was what Sasha had expected to happen... Lana had no idea that this was all going to backfire right in her face.

'Oh yeah? Then can you explain this?' And before the ballerina could shove her away, Sasha quickly leaned over and grabbed the headpiece; her fingertips touched the cold metal of the gear, thank God, it was still there. Lana let out an indignant shriek as she felt the pins that had kept the headpiece in place pull out of her hair. It took one pull to rip out the gear... and from that moment on, the ballerina's facial expression entirely changed. Her cold eyes widened with horror as her mouth slightly opened to let out a gasp, but she quickly shut it. Her thin fingers curled into a fist, which she clenched so tightly that everyone could hear faint cracking. All eyes backstage were now set on Sasha, Dolores and the busted ballerina. A collective gasp was earned from the shadows before silence fell.

But it wasn't only Lana who was horrified. Tears could be seen in the corners of Dolores' big eyes. Her lower lip slightly trembled as she shook her head. 'No... this can't be!' she said with a soft voice. 'You... You took the gear... You've hidden it from me while I searched for it... You had it with you the entire time... But... why? Why, Lana, why?! Why did you do this?! I thought that we were friends! We have been friends for years! We are family!'

The ballerina's mouth turned into a flat line. And even though the glare that replaced the horror with her usual coldness, it felt like they were burning with hate at the same time.

'You want to know why...?' she hissed, slowly getting up. The white-haired girl took a step back; Sasha noticed this and planned to shove Lana away as soon as she dared to touch her.

This was it. The big revelation. The explanation of how Charlotte could escape after 121 years.

' _Da_ , it was me.' Lana spoke. 'It was me who released that behemoth. And since you're so eager to know why I did this, I shall gladly tell you the truth. It's because... I wanted her to kill you, Dolores.' A shocked gasp escaped from Dolores' mouth, but this reaction didn't move Lana for one bit. 'You may have not noticed it during these past years, which is logical since I've hidden it from you the whole time, but... I hate you so damn much. _Da_ , you have heard that right. I hate you, Dolores, more than anything or anyone else. The reason why I am stuck here in this godforsaken mansion is because of you! It's your powers that kept me tied here! A few steps outside means instant death since we can't exist without the magic, but you... you didn't care! You never did! All you cared about was keeping your family close to you because you were afraid of being alone! Selfish brat! I could've gone out to the outside world and become a star! I would finally get the fame that I deserve! It's all because of you that I'm trapped here, forced to play in idiotic plays for the same crowd over and over again! I have always, always, always hated you for this! We all knew how much Charlotte resented you for locking her away, that was no secret. Your death must be the key to release me from the chains that has kept me here for 121 long years... with that thought, I took out the gear and allowed the frozen time that has kept her in place to run once more in her prison. How much her own hate has altered her appearance... I thought that I alone despised you immensely, but she, her hatred has even surpassed mine. You may be alive now, brat, but mark my words... I dearly hope that your death will be slow and painful.'

Tears of shock, hurt and disbelief rolled down Dolores' face. 'But... Lana...' she said. 'You should have told me... If you wanted to leave, I would've let you go. You always could have left, I would never force you, or anyone else, to stay here. You could've gone to the Blue Train Station and-'

'And risk being reborn as a talentless joke?!' Lana spat out. 'You stupid child!'

'Shut up!' Sasha shouted as she pushed the ballerina away from the white-haired girl. She had heard enough of this verbal abuse, Dolores didn't deserve to listen to this. If she dared to say one more word to her, she swore to God that she would knock her damn teeth out. Lana stumbled backwards and almost lost her balance for a moment, but thanks to years of training, she managed to regain it, now standing on her tiptoes like she always did. Her glare shifted from Dolores to Sasha.

'How dare you to push me?!' she shouted. 'I will make you pay for that, you-'

But unfortunately for Lana, she didn't get the chance to finish her threat; an ear-deafening bang shook the entire theatre to the core. Pieces of wallpaper-covered debris of all sizes were launched everywhere, shattering into pieces on the floor, barely striking the other actors and destroying the mirror of the dressing table. High-pitched shrieks could be heard from the fleeing shadowy actors when they saw who had burst through the wall like an enraged bull. Sasha felt her heart sinking right to the very bottom of her feet as she dropped her jaw in a mix of disbelief and pure horror.

No.

This couldn't be.

This was impossible, she had watched her die, for God's sake!

But it was really her; it really was Charlotte, hunched over in the ever-present crawling position that she was forced to take, standing there in the hole she had smashed into the wall. Her appearance was now more horrific than ever, so terrifying that it would spook the Devil himself. Kane's fire had resulted in a good portion of her hair to be burnt off, causing the left side of her head to be completely bald, only a few tufts of scorched hair that was less than three millimeters could be seen in the holes in her head. Her filthy hair nearly reached her lower back when Sasha had encountered her for the first time, but now that Kane had bathed her in a sea of fire, it barely reached past her shoulder. Once her porcelain body had been stark and untouched, now that the flames had entirely engulfed her, the behemoth's 'skin' had blackened and cracked on the surface. Everywhere you looked, you saw cracks. Not even a powerful inferno that Kane had put all his energy into was enough to take down this monster of a doll. No... instead of defeating her, it pissed her off even more, much more. Charlotte's remaining eye had rolled back into place upon regaining consciousness and it was staring right at Sasha, Dolores and Lana.

'There you are, Dolores...' Charlotte growled; it sounded like her voice was dripping with poison. The white-haired girl whimpered as her legs began to tremble. 'You have made this everything but easy for me, but now your luck has run out. I've had fun toying around with you, making you to destroy bits and pieces of your beloved home... but I have run out of all patience!'

It looked like the porcelain behemoth's new horrifying appearance and words had triggered something inside Lana... something natural, but incredibly foolish at the same time. The ballerina screamed at the top of her lungs in pure fright when she allowed a certain kind of energy to quickly flow to her arms. In the blink of an eye, her arms had once again turned into white swan wings. She took a leap, thinking that her escape would be successful... but when she barely flew past Charlotte's face, a giant hand grabbed one of her wings and snatched her out of the air, earning a loud gasp of fear. Lana struggled to break free, but once she glanced at the behemoth's scarred face, her face twisted into a mask of pure horror.

'Get out of my way!' Charlotte shouted. Still tightly holding the treacherous ballerina's wing in her fist, she raised her high in the air and swung her down.

' _Net_!' That was the last word that Lana screamed before she was shattered onto the wooden floor. Her porcelain body exploded upon impact, sending pieces flying everywhere. A few of them remained in the gown that had gained her so much attention during in what turned out to be her very last performance. The wind-up key that had been stuck in the back of her neck disappeared in a wide crack of the floor. One of the many shards showed one of her eyes, her right cheek and a mouth that was frozen in a silent scream. Her eye, which was once capable of producing such cold glares, was now permanently widened in fear; the last emotion she felt before smashing onto the floor face-first.

Dolores fell on her knees and shrieked. 'No! Lana, no!' she cried out, staring at the pieces which had once formed the ballerina.

Now that this annoyance had been taken care, it was time for Charlotte to focus her attention on the real target. 'You!' she shouted furiously. Before the white-haired girl could run away, the long fingers of large hand had already wrapped themselves around her, tight enough to squeeze the air out of her lungs. Dolores let out another scream of fear, finding herself in Charlotte's grip once more.

'Dolores!' Even though she didn't have any weapons to defend herself with, Sasha ran towards Charlotte's hand, but unfortunately for her, the porcelain behemoth had already counted on this. The magenta-haired woman didn't see what was coming to her. For one moment she was about to reach out her hands to start her attempt to somehow pry the white-haired girl free from the behemoth's death grip... the next moment, it was like she was hit by a wrecking ball. Charlotte had hit her with her other hand with full force. Darkness clouded Sasha's sight as she was flung across the floor; when her body eventually hit the wall on the other side of the backstage, hundreds of stars appeared in front of her eyes. A sharp pain traveled through her head when the magenta-haired woman tried to get up, not wanting the pain to hold her down, but she fell on her knees. Damn it, Dolores needed her! The 'stars' died and the darkness faded away, only leaving a few blurry spots on her sight. That's when Sasha heard Dolores screaming out her name. Oh God... no! Between the thick spots, the magenta-haired woman saw the porcelain fist with the screaming white-haired girl clenched in it retreat back into the hole.

'Do...lores...!' Sasha whispered. She finally managed to get back up her feet, despite the fact that it felt like her surroundings were spinning. Trying the keep her balance, she ran towards the hole and looked inside, only to lay eyes upon nothing but darkness.

She was gone, they were both gone...

Countless thoughts went through Sasha's head at the same time, each more horrific than the other. She felt her heart pounding in her head with the strength of a jackhammer as she stumbled backwards, grasping in the roots her hair in a moment of despair. Oh God, oh Jesus Christ, she got her, she couldn't save her in time, oh dear God, she had sworn to protect her, goddamn it! Sasha had to bite her cheeks to prevent herself from hyperventilating with so much force that she drew blood, and even though drop of blood trickled towards her tongue, she barely tasted the iron-like flavor. But the pain did calm her down a bit, though.

There was no point in staying here and flip out, she had to go in there. For Dolores. The magenta-haired woman took a deep breath and was about to leap into the hole; if she had jumped right then, the dozens of doll arms that shot out of the darkness at that moment would've grabbed her for sure. Sasha loudly gasped and fell on her behind, saving herself from leaping right into a trap. As if they all belonged to a blind person, the arms flailed around and grasped into the air, like they were to grab something, or rather, someone. Charlotte must've expected her to go after them, that evil wench… it looked like she had to find Dolores in a different way, before it was too late.

When Sasha ran through the curtains, she saw that all hell had broken loose in the theatre. Shadows were screaming like banshees and were heading to the exit all at once, slithering over the seats, walls and floor like screeching oil stains; it was this that prevented the doorway to the lobby from blocked, thankfully. Aiden and Simon were two of the many who fled the theatre, all while wailing about the fact that their masterpiece had been ruined. Kane was standing near the entrance to the lobby, loudly urging everyone to hurry up.

'Get to the Blue Train Station!' he shouted. 'And hurry up! Don't look behind for one moment!' Then his eyes locked with those of Sasha. 'Sasha, get over here! Where is Dolores?!'

'She has taken her!' the magenta-haired woman replied while she ran towards him; she barely heard his voice over the pounding of her own heart in her head. 'Charlotte… she has dragged her through the wall!'

'What did you say?!' Kane gritted his teeth in anger. 'Damn her! Damn that accursed wench to Hell! I'll burn her for all eternity if she lays a finger on her! Let's go, Sasha! We have to find them!'

Together they ran through the lobby to the stairs, where a whole wave of shadows had gathered to flee down the staircase. Sasha and Kane joined them as they ran down the stairs; the fire-controlling loner was in front of her, she was right behind him. Going down the staircase with the screeching and whimpering shadows all around her gave the magenta-haired woman the feeling that she was descending down the stairs that lead to the gates of Hell. She almost tripped two times, but managed to grab onto the handrail before she could make a nasty fall. The narrow staircase would be bathed in darkness due to the many shadows gliding over the lamps, it was a miracle that each of the magenta-haired woman's feet found a step. Her lungs were burning and her heart was pounding faster than ever, but she kept her sight focused to the steps in front of her, hoping that they would reach the bottom as soon as possible.

But when Kane and Sasha finally reached the bottom of the staircase, much to the latter's relief, it turned out that they had stepped out of one nightmare and right into another; either that, or it was one single nightmare that was evolving. Everywhere they looked, they saw the thick black liquid, dripping down all the walls like filthy tears. They all gathered to form one big waterfall, which spilled all over the floor. That god-horrid, putrid stench of death and decay once again returned with full force, filling up Sasha's nose and making it almost impossible for her to breathe. In the blink of an eye, numerous arms shot out of the walls, all of them trying to grab something.

First it was the garden… then the playroom… and now it was the entire mansion's turn to fall victim to the corruption.

'Stay away from the walls!' Sasha said to Kane as she ducked away from one of the hands. 'Don't let them grab you!'

'What does it look like I'm doing?!' An orb of fire completely engulfed Kane's fist before he launched it at the arms, setting them ablaze, which caused them to flail even more. 'Keep running!'

And that's exactly what they did. As they turned around the corner, they saw a huge group of shadows running down the stairs, almost coloring the entire structure black. It was like a black river with countless pairs of beady eyes, heading towards safety. It was almost incredible to look at, that is if the 'river' wasn't terrified to death and shrieking like banshees. Aiden and Simon could be seen at the bottom of the stairs, hunching over their upper bodies and shallowly breathing, catching their breaths; this was possible the fastest they had ever ran in their whole lives.

'Kane! Sasha!'

Both the masked loner and the magenta-haired woman could easily recognize that voice. Sasha's heart almost cringed in relief when she saw Daniel, Becky, Brie and Oliver standing at the top the stairs, all of them seemingly unharmed. Unfortunately it looked like the nymph's condition hadn't improved the slightest; her husband was forced to now carry her around in his arms. Becky was still holding little Oliver, gently rocking the baby and patting him on the back, shielding his eyes from the horrifying nightmare that was unfolding around him.

'Oh thank God!' Sasha exclaimed after she and Kane miraculously managed to stay out of reach from the arms while they ran towards the group and joined them. Now that she had gotten closer to them, the magenta-haired woman saw that Brie was thankfully still breathing. 'Are you guys alright?'

'We are unharmed, thanks.' Daniel replied. 'Dear God in Heaven, this whole place is going to hell, I have never seen anything like this before!'

'It's that same damn corruption that has ruined the garden... I bet it's that porcelain devil who's behind this!' Becky exclaimed. Then the robotic maid noticed something. 'Sasha, where is Dolores?'

'Charlotte has taken her!' the magenta-haired woman replied. 'She grabbed her when we were in the theatre. I have no idea where they are now, oh God, we must do something before she gets hurt!'

A brief silence fell in the group.

'I may know where they are.' Daniel suddenly said. 'It's a wild guess, but it could work. Come on, follow me, quick! There's no time to waste!'

The group joined the shadows when they went down the stairs. After they reached the bottom, the faun took a few steps to the left and pointed to the hole in the wall near the staircase that Charlotte had created in the beginning of the night. Aiden and Simon, who were still catching their breaths, silently joined them.

'There.' Daniel said. 'That is the basement where Charlotte had been kept all these years. Who knows, it could very well be that she has taken Dolores there. After all, it's the place where they saw each other for the last time... I know this, because I have been there. I was the one who carried Dolores out of there after she froze time to imprison Charlotte. That place does have some emotional value, in some bizarre way.'

Sasha gave the faun a small nod. 'If all of us face her together, we have a chance. She may be fast and strong, but she is fragile, really fragile. One good smack and we can deliver a lot of damage to her. Since Kane has weakened her for the most time, it might make the fight easier for us. Are you guys ready for this?'

'Ye're damn right I'm ready for this, lass.' Becky said. 'I'm comin' with ya. A good maid always has some tricks up her sleeve.'

'I will make her pay for what she has done to Dolores.' Kane growled, allowing flames to engulf his fists.

'I'm coming with you too.' Daniel said. 'If defeating Charlotte will not only save Dolores but my wife as well... you don't have to ask me twice to help you.' The faun looked up and finally noticed the two directors. 'Aiden.' he said. 'Please watch over Brie while we go down there. Make sure she keeps breathing and try to hide somewhere safe.'

'And you, make yerself useful and keep an eye on wee Oliver here.' Becky said to Simon.

Both of the directors nodded. 'Don't worry, we will keep them safe.' Aiden said. 'We promise.'

From the corner of her eye, Sasha spotted a wooden, liquid-stained dresser near the hallway that lead to the east area of the mansion. Most of companions may have magical powers to defend themselves with, but she felt like one more extra weapon would be useful. She walked over to the dresser, flipped it over and with three kicks and few yanks that contained all the strength she had, managed to break off one of the dresser's legs. Picking it up, she figured that this would probably be enough. Then she walked back to the group and gave Daniel another brief nod with a determined look in her eyes.

'Alright' she said. 'Let's go give that bitch some hell.'


	18. Dear Old Friend

**Chapter 18**

 **Dear Old Friend**

'Dolores… if you're really down there with that monster, then please, for the love of God… hang in there.'

That was the only thought that went through Sasha's head before her descend down the basement began. Staring into the darkness that was awaiting her and the rest of the group, the magenta-haired woman had clenched her hands around the dresser's leg so tightly that her knuckles turned pale. She couldn't see a single source of light, whether small or big, as long as it was enough to show at least something, anywhere in the vast darkness that was the basement. The large hole had been in the wall since the beginning of this surreal nightmare of a night, but a strong hint of heavy stuffiness still managed to fill up Sasha's nose; it became perfectly clear that the last time the door that had kept Charlotte in that suffocating darkness had been opened was more than a hundred years ago.

And it was that very same darkness where Dolores was trapped in.

The flames that engulfed Kane's fists soon became the only sources of light as the group became the nerve-wracking descend down the stairs. The first thing that Sasha noticed was that unlike all the other staircases in the mansion, this one was made of stone, which fueled the dark basement's chilly atmosphere. No, 'basement' wasn't the right word to describe this part of the house; it felt more like a dungeon. Each step had to be made with care and precision, since deep scratches had been carved into the stone, some of them were so deep that it nearly split an entire step in half. The light that Kane's flames produced were bright enough to shine some light on the walls and one glance at them was more than enough to send a chill up the magenta-haired woman's spine with so much force that it became painful. Everywhere she looked, there were scratches, tearing through the stone, each of them deep and angry. These were the kind of scratches a wild animal would make when it makes an escape from its cage... and it wasn't a hard guess about who that caged animal would be. How much rage must've going through Charlotte's head when she literally clawed up her way to freedom? An ungodly amount, that was for sure. The magenta-haired woman could practically feel that rage radiating from those claw marks on the stairs and walls. It was all because of Lana that Charlotte was given her first and possibly only opportunity to escape from her imprisonment and she had gladly taken it. She has had all the time in the world when it came to planning about how to get her revenge on the girl who had locked her away for more than a century. But why the hell was she locked up in the first place? That's what Sasha began to wonder more and more. Whatever it was, something bad must've happened.

Something really bad.

In the glow of Kane's fire, Sasha looked at the faces of the rest of the group. One quick glance at Daniel, Becky and the masked loner would give one the impression that all of them were surprisingly calm despite this dire situation, but if one would take a longer look, you could definitely see some minor level of anxiety in their eyes. And rightfully so, Sasha thought. Even though Charlotte was fragile, she was still capable of showing immense speed and strength; this monster of a doll was not one to be underestimated, and Sasha knew that, because she had seen everything. She was convinced that Daniel and Kane would be useful allies in this fight, but the one person the magenta-haired woman was concerned about had to be Becky. One trip over her own feet could mean the end of her, the thought of the only things being left of the robotic maid was heaps of scrap metal that were once her arms made her skin crawl.

But Sasha could use all the help she could get at this moment, because Dolores was down there at the bottom of this dark pit with that porcelain behemoth.

There was no way to turn back now.

When the group finally reached the bottom of the cold darkness that was the basement and Kane allowed his flames to grow bigger for a brighter light, a horrifying sight immediately greeted them. From the corner of her eye, Sasha noticed Becky opening her mouth to let out a gasp or scream; before any of that could happen, the magenta-haired woman quickly covered the maid's mouth with her hand. She even had to suppress a gasp herself. Kane and Daniel didn't make any noises, but instead widened their eyes with pure horror.

Charlotte, who was kneeling in the middle of the large basement, didn't even notice the warm glow on her heavily damaged body. Her attention was entirely occupied by someone else... and that person happened to be part of the grotesque sight that was awaiting her rescuers. Like some sinister puppet, Dolores was suspended in the air in front of the giant doll, held by numerous, abnormally elongated doll arms that had grown out of the stone walls. Countless hands firmly held her entire body into place, holding her by her limbs and waist, making any escape attempt futile. That is, if she still had the power to snap out of the mind control that was being forced into her head; one hand was placed on the back of her head, forcing her once again to create the destruction of her own mansion. The white-haired girl's eyes were rolled in the back of her skull. Her slacked jaw and the blood that trickled out of her nose in thick streams made the bone-chilling sight only more horrifying to look at.

'Here we are once more, Dolores...' Charlotte spoke. Much to Sasha's and everyone else's surprise, her voice didn't sound enraged at all. Instead, it had something... saddening. 'Do you remember this place? I'm sure you do. This is where we were together for the last time. I still remember that night so well. I... I really thought that you were happy with me. It was just the two of us and we made so many happy memories together. From the day that you brought me to life, I tried my absolute best to give you the happy life you had been denied from birth. All I ever wanted was to make you sleep peacefully at night and not be woken up by yelling, to take away that fear of being ridiculed for being yourself, to... to make you happy. I wanted to be the real mother figure that you never had. We could have made so many more precious memories together, Dolores... But you... You didn't think I was good enough for you, did you?'

From that moment on, the sad tone of the one-sided conversation slowly grew more resentful.

'That must've been it. You were getting sick of me. You decided to forget everything I have to done for you. That's why you told me that you wanted to talk to other people. You didn't care about my emotions at all, did you?! I made it clear to you that I would be the only friend in your life, but I guess I hadn't been clear enough to you. You still created them. Oh, I remember it so well... One moment I laid eyes on your new 'friends', the next one the one with the red mask pinned me down to the ground while that goat freak wiped off the blood that was running from your nose. I was so blinded by rage before that, but when I saw your tears and blood... I immediately felt remorse. You didn't want to give me another chance, you instead chose to lock me away in the basement. I was shoved into the clock that you created like a damn animal. It was when you put in the gear that the clock became my prison.'

That's when Sasha noticed the large pieces of shattered wood strewn over the floor. The copper disk of the clock was the only part that had remained intact, even though the longer hand had been bent at a ninety degree angle. Goose bumps appeared all over the magenta-haired woman's arms instantly. These were the remains of Charlotte's prison. This is where she had spend those 121 years.

'For 121 years, I was trapped alone in the frozen time, surrounded by nothing more but darkness, while you continued with your happy life upstairs with your new friends, in the light.' the behemoth bitterly growled. 'Even though I couldn't move my body for an inch, I could still think and feel. And the only thing I felt was hate, Dolores. It was that same hate for you that has turned me into this... this... abomination! This is all your fault! You disrespected me, you betrayed me, you locked me away! Tossed me aside like a forgotten toy! But now you are my toy, Dolores. Once you wake up, the entire mansion will be nothing more but a hellhole of corruption and you will have no one else to blame but yourself! There will be nobody to help you while you shall drown in your own self-pity! Only me... like it always should have been!'

Suddenly, with a look of sheer determination on his face, Daniel took a step forward. 'That's not going to happen.' he spoke, loud enough to draw the behemoth of a doll's attention. The stone floor slightly rumbled when she turned around.

'You...' she hissed. 'How are you still alive?!'

'Let go of her, Charlotte!' Kane furiously shouted at her. 'Or else we shall make you!'

A wry chuckle could be heard from the porcelain giant. 'Really? Are you so sure about that? Go ahead and try, but all of you, remember this... I will kill you all before one of you can even touch me.'

Then, while not breaking her sight on her for one second, Sasha stepped forward and pointed the dresser's leg at her like a sword. 'We'll just see about that, freak show.' she said.

This was the signal for all hell to break loose in the basement.

Unable to contain his rage and thirst for a fight any longer, Kane let out a furious roar as he fired a sea of flames at Charlotte; the temperature in the basement grew by tenfold because of this. But it looked like this time the porcelain behemoth had counted on an attack like this. Just as the first flame was almost close enough to scorch her, a large row of doll arms rose from the floor in the blink of an eye, shielding her from the approaching inferno, with a little 'help' of Dolores. The flames hit the arms, engulfing them and cracking each patch of porcelain... but none of those flames managed to burn Charlotte. As the blaze died out, the heavily damaged arms broke into pieces, making it rain sharp shards of porcelain. Charlotte darkly chuckled when she grabbed the opportunity to launch her own first attack. Before Kane got the chance to send another burning blaze, one of the hands of her remaining pair of arms on her back grabbed him, catching him by surprise. Charlotte wasted no time in starting to squeeze the life out of the masked fire wielder. At first he refused to show her any signs of pain, but as the agonizing pressure began to set in, a strangled yell escaped from his open mouth. The first bones in Kane's body were about to snap like twigs when before everyone heard a brief, rapid clacking of hooves, a flurry of sandy blonde fur charged towards the wrist of Charlotte's clenched fist. A nearly ear-deafening crash echoed through the entire basement, followed by a loud scream of pain from Charlotte. It had happened this quickly that even Sasha and Becky hadn't noticed it in time; Daniel had transformed into his goat form and had leapt at Charlotte with the speed of lightning. The only intact part of the broken lower arm was the fist that trapped Kane, but that only lasted for less than two seconds or so before it was shattered into pieces on the floor. Cuts were formed on the masked fire wielder's arms, some of them were deep enough to let out thin trickles of blood, but it looked like he barely felt the pain.

'Aaargh! Damn you!' Charlotte screamed, cradling her shattered arm.

That's when Sasha saw a gap in the porcelain's behemoth's defense that gave them the perfect opportunity. 'Daniel! Kane!' she shouted at the two. 'Get to Dolores! Destroy those arms! Hurry! We will distract her!'

Fully understanding what the magenta-haired woman said, the masked fire wielder and the giant goat gave her a brief nod and ran past Charlotte as fast as they could, who was still writhing her upper body in pain. But even though she was in immense pain, she wasn't planning on letting them get to the white-haired child. It was time to force Dolores to help her once again. The all too familiar stench of decay filled the basement when a giant wave of black liquid was suddenly created, which was heading straight towards them. Before Kane and Daniel had the chance to react to it, the wave mercilessly crashed into them, knocking them over and smashing them against a wall. In a matter of a few seconds, the liquid nearly reached Sasha's and Becky's knees.

Loud sloshing and rapid clicks and rattling next to her caught Sasha's attention. One moment ago Becky was standing next to her, now she was running towards Charlotte as fast as she could; much to the magenta-haired woman surprise, she saw blue sparks electricity frantically crackling around Becky's clenched fists.

'Oy there, ya big ugly doll!' the robotic maid shouted angrily. 'Don't forget about me!'

This insult seemed to fully snap Charlotte out of her pain-fueled trance. After letting out an infuriated scream, she raised the fist of the last remaining arm that grew from her back in the air and brought it down, determined to reduce Becky into nothing more but a pile of useless gears and scrap metal. But when the fist was less than ten centimeters away from crushing her, the robotic maid ducked away just in time, landing in the liquid face-first. The fist missed its target, hitting the liquid instead, sending the foul-smelling ooze flying everywhere. But despite the liquid soaking her outfit and adding some weight to it, Becky managed to get back up on her feet and charge at the porcelain behemoth once more. She pulled back her metal arm as far as possible, the electricity that danced around her fist crackling louder as more energy was added, and before Charlotte was able to lift up her fist, Becky struck her lower arm with all the strength her rusty insides still had to offer her. The sound of porcelain being smashed to pieces, the sound that everyone wanted to hear, echoed through the basement once more, along with Charlotte's scream of pain. Small splashes could be heard as pieces of shattered porcelain fell in the liquid and disappeared in its blackness.

Becky, who boldly assumed that they had created another moment of brief safety, turned to Sasha and grinned broadly. 'See, lass?' she said between her panting. 'Told ya that a good maid always has a trick up her slee-'

But Becky's brief victory was abruptly cut short when numerous doll arms emerged from the liquid, immediately grabbing her by her arms, legs and dress. Caught by surprise, the robotic maid shrieked and attempted to break free from the hands that held her, but this struggle came to an end when two more hands managed to get a tight grip on her long, red hair and viciously pulled her head down. The hands then all began to mercilessly pull her down to the liquid, causing Becky to scream and realize what fate was awaiting her; she was going to be drowned like a stray cat.

'Becky, I got you!' That's what the robotic maid heard Sasha shouting before loud shattering could be heard around her. As the magenta-haired woman smashed the arms into pieces one by one with dresser's leg, the agonizing weight was lifted more and more until she was finally able to stand up straight. Only when all the arms were destroyed did Sasha lower her weapon. She turned her head to the robotic maid and just when she opened her mouth to ask if she was alright, they were both struck by what felt like a wrecking ball of porcelain. Charlotte swatted them away to the wall, where they crashed against it. A sharp pain traveled through Sasha's head, it caused her to clench her eyes shut and to briefly see stars, but thankfully the impact hadn't been enough to knock her out cold. She could feel the material of her trousers sticking against her skin, the strong stench of the black ooze almost made her head feel like spinning. As the stars in front of her eyes slowly died out, the magenta-haired woman looked around her, trying to catch a glimpse of Becky. She saw her when she turned her head to the right, but it looked like the impact had made a worse effect on the her; the robotic maid let out a soft groan as she drifted out of consciousness.

'Oh no… no no no, Becky!' Sasha softly exclaimed in shock. 'Becky, wake up! Please, wake up!' But there wasn't much time to try to wake her up by shaking her shoulders; from the corner of her left eye, Sasha saw that Charlotte was ready to launch another attack. Another fist came flying down, ready to crush every single bone in her body. This was bound to have happened if Sasha managed to duck away just in time. A wave of liquid spilled over her as the fist made its impact, now entirely making her unable to smell anything but that god-horrid smell of death; she had to tightly clench her lips together to prevent any of it to leak into her mouth. She had wipe away the liquid out of her face to open her eyes and looked up, but the sight that was awaiting her was everything but a pleasant one. Charlotte's towering size was large enough to entirely cast a whole shadow over her. The porcelain behemoth silently stared down at her. Staring at her from this angle, Sasha swore to God that she had never seen so much rage in a doll's eye, the bloodlust was practically bleeding through it. She clenched the dresser's leg so tightly that if she would put any more pressure on it, the wood could possibly snap.

'Just... die!'

With the plan of crushing the magenta-haired woman in her hand like the empty shell of a peanut, Charlotte reached out, but before the tips of her finger could touch her, temperatures rose to a nearly unbearable height once more in an instant before she was struck in the head by a blinding blaze, strong enough to knock her over. The behemoth of a doll fell in the water with a big splash whilst clawing at the side of her damaged face.

Even though Kane had noticed the incoming attack and saved Sasha just in time, there was no time for him to check up on her to see if she was alright. After one quick glance at the magenta-haired woman, he looked over his shoulder. 'Daniel! Now!' he shouted.

What Sasha witnessed next was absolutely astounding to look at. From the right side of the basement, Daniel, who was still in his goat form, charged to the opposite side as fast as he could, the liquid not able to slow down his speed for one second. From a distance, you could see that his sight was only focused on the wall in front of him. And while the giant goat was getting closer to the other side, Kane launched multiple orbs of fire at the ceiling, aiming for the arms that held Dolores. It looked like Kane had carefully planned this strategy, because the flaming orbs was thankfully not large enough to burn the white-haired girl, missing her hair and body by an inch. The flames struck their targets with success, and whilst the porcelain cracked due to the heat, Charlotte's body convulsed in agonizing pain. Right on that moment, Daniel was just less than a meter away from the wall; that's when he jumped up, leaping right at it. A loud clack was heard as his hooves touched the wall. Smalls cracks formed in the stone. Less than a second later, the giant goat used the wall to leap into the air with success. If she didn't remember that they were stuck in a battle that could only end in life or death, Sasha would've dropped her jaw in awe. That's when she saw where Daniel was exactly aiming for; the damaged arms. A rain of shattered porcelain fell down when the giant goat's horn hit them all with full impact. Thank God, Dolores was freed at last... but she would still be in for quite a drop. This was exactly what Kane had been counting on, however. He had put all of his strength in all the attacks he had launched and he could feel his energy leaving his body, but he clearly refused to let the tiredness get to him. The masked fire wielder rushed to Dolores as fast as he could and managed to catch the unconscious girl right before her body would fall in the liquid.

Feeling that she had lost control over her victim, Charlotte looked up.

'No!' she furiously shouted. Then, before Sasha could possibly do anything to stop her, the porcelain behemoth charged at the three like a raging bull, causing another wave of black liquid to hit the magenta-haired woman in the face. Kane, who had knelt down and attempted to wake Dolores up by gently patting her on the cheek, snapped out of his concentration and looked up. He saw Charlotte getting dangerously close to him, but that didn't mean he was planning on allowing her to grab him or Dolores. Using the amount of energy to create an effective counterattack; a fireball was shot from the palm of his hand and struck Charlotte in the face, blinding her causing her to cover her remaining eye with her hands while screaming in pain.

For Daniel, the counterattack wasn't over yet. Not only did he want to take her down... but he also wanted to make her pay for what she had done to Brie. A deep bleat emerged from the pits of his throat when the giant goat charged at the porcelain behemoth, his eyes burning with fury. By the time he leapt at her, it was far too late for Charlotte to swat him away; the only thing she could do was shielding her waist with her right arm, but that did little to lessen the impact. The loudest crash rang through everyone's ears when Daniel's horns struck Charlotte's arm and waist with a devastating impact. The giant goat burst through the porcelain behemoth and severed her upper body from her lower body. Charlotte let out a short-lived, strangled scream before she landed in the liquid. Her now useless lower body fell on its side and the hollow insides allowed the black ooze to flow in; it almost resembled an eerie version of an underwater cave of some sorts.

Immediately after the sound of plashing died out, silence fell in the basement.

A mix of intense relief and some disbelief went through Sasha while she stared at the motionless, bisected body that was slowly filled up more and more by the liquid. Her grip on the dresser's leg slightly loosened, mainly because her hands were shaking uncontrollably. Despite her legs feeling like they were made of gelatin, the magenta-haired woman managed to get up on her feet.

Was it… was it over?

She could hardly believe this. Her eye fell on Kane and Daniel (whose body glowed with a bright green light before reverted back into his usual satyr form), who now had way more time to attend to Dolores. The white-haired girl was lying in Kane's muscled arms. Even though she was in safe hands now, she still seemed unresponsive. Sasha quickly waded through the liquid, heading towards them. While passing by Charlotte's severed body, she couldn't help but stare at her the whole time, afraid that there was still some life in her nonetheless… but Charlotte was thankfully lying perfectly still, which only fueled her relief. When the magenta-haired woman reached Kane and Daniel, she knelt down next to them and began gently yet rapidly patting Dolores on the cheeks. The blood that had run out of her nose was already starting to dry up.

'Hey, Dolores, wake up!' Sasha said. 'Please, wake up! Open your eyes, sweetie, everything is fine now…'

Much to everyone's relief, they all saw the white-haired girl's eyelids slightly trembling. Dolores slowly opened her eyes. She let out a soft groan when she closed them again, then opened them once more. She glanced from left to right; seeing the faces of the ones she held so dear immediately put her at ease.

'What… What happened?' Dolores asked with a soft voice. 'Where are we? D-Did she grab me again?'

'Is she alright?' a familiar voice asked. Looking over her shoulder, Sasha relief was increased. It was Becky. Small sparks escaped from the thick wires in her neck, but despite this, the robotic maid still seemed to still function well. With a worried look on her face, Becky joined them. 'Lads, please tell me that she's alright…' she said.

'I-I feel a bit lightheaded, but-'

The collective feeling of safety was brutally thrown out of the window when a large, porcelain hand grabbed Becky and flung her away. Sasha's heart almost jumped out of her chest when she turned around. She wished that her eyes were lying to her, but she was really there.

Oh God, oh no… How the hell was she still alive?!

Before Kane and Daniel could react, Charlotte's last hand grabbed the two of them and flung them away, sending them flying after Becky. Dolores, who was crudely dropped into the liquid, fully regained her consciousness in the blink of an eye and gasped in shock. After flinging her three enemies away, Charlotte supported herself on her arm and shifted her focus onto Sasha. The magenta-haired woman's grip on the dresser's leg tightened once more. Even though she was still on her knees, her glare said everything: go ahead, try to punch me, I will smash the living hell out of you.

'You…! You…! You…!' Charlotte shouted. She pulled back her right arm, of which the lower part was now reduced to a sharp, pointy stump that reminded Sasha of kitchen knives. The porcelain behemoth than brought it down, more than willing to put an end to the magenta-haired woman's life.

A pair of pale arms wrapped around Sasha's upper body while a small body pressed against it at the same time. White hair touched the magenta-haired woman's face. 'Sasha, no!'

A stomach-churning, muffled, fleshy sound followed, along with a gasp.

Sasha stared at Dolores' face, which was frozen in an expression that made her heart and stomach sink to the bottom of her feet at the same time. The white-haired child's eyes were fully widened. Her mouth slightly trembled, as if she tried to say something, but the only noise that escaped from her parted lips was soft whimpering. Soon something much more horrifying came along with it; from the corner of her mouth, a thin stream of blood trickled down.

No…

Sasha widened her eyes in shock when she felt Dolores' arms loosening around her neck. Touching the little girl's back with a violently trembling hand, the magenta-haired woman's horror was only fueled when she felt something warm and wet soaking the material of her dress. Oh God, oh dear God, no… She felt something else besides that; something cold, large and hard had pierced into her, it wasn't hard to guess what it actually was. Another horrifying fleshy sound was heard when Charlotte pulled the sharp edge of her shattered lower arm out of Dolores' back. The white-haired girl let out a louder whimper as a sharp pain traveled through her body once more. It was then where Sasha's nose was filled up by the unmistaken smell of blood. Whimpering once more, Dolores fell down; no thud could be heard, only a brief splash.

Sasha Banks snapped.

Her sight colored in a deep shade of red when she screamed furiously at the top of her lungs. As if she was stung by a wasp, she jumped up, rushed towards Charlotte's last arm and effortlessly smashed it into pieces, causing the porcelain behemoth to fall on her side; the enraged magenta-haired woman couldn't even hear her scream of pain over the sound of her own heartbeat that filled up each empty spot inside her head. Smash her hurt her destroy her beat the living hell out of her kill her! That was the only, nearly incomprehensible line that played over and over in her mind like a wrathful mantra. Even though Charlotte was now lying down without a single limb left, there was no way in hell that Sasha was going to stop. Each time she swung down the dresser's leg, she could hear something shatter into pieces. It wasn't loud enough to overlap her heartbeat, but she heard it nonetheless. One of the pieces of porcelain flew past her face and left a small cut on her cheek, but the adrenaline and sheer rage numbed the pain. Swing down, crash. Swing down, crash, Swing down, crash, over and over again. She had to destroy her, she had to destroy every single piece of that monster's body until there wasn't one single damn piece of her left! This was for Dolores, each hit was for everything that had done to Dolores during this night and Sasha hoped that each hit would hurt like hell.

Charlotte's head was the next one to be shattered into pieces; just as Sasha raised her weapon in the air to swing it down once more, she felt someone grabbing it.

'Please, stop… That's enough, Sasha…'

That voice made the magenta-haired woman freeze. The dark red shade that had blinded her faded away, returning her sight to her. The dresser's leg slipped out of her fingers and landed in the liquid. She slowly turned around and gasped. Oh God… it was Dolores…

'Don't hurt her anymore, I'm begging you…' the white-haired girl said. 'I… I have to talk to her.'

'Dolores, step back!' Sasha replied. 'I can finish this!'

'No! Just let me do this! I have to do this alone! I have to… I have to set this right…'

Now that she had regained her sight, Sasha saw how much damaged she had actually delivered to Charlotte… and the results made it absolutely clear that her rage had done its job. Almost nothing was left of her chest, there were only a few pieces left that held both sides of her upper body together, one touch and they would immediately fall apart. Now there was no way she could harm anyone with her arms again; what only remained of them now were two gaping, jagged holes near the porcelain behemoth's shoulders. Deep cracks had spread to her face, making this part of her ravaged body just as extremely fragile. One more hit and it would've been over for sure. The magenta-haired woman took one step back, allowing Dolores access to Charlotte. The white-haired girl slowly walked towards her and knelt down next to her head. It became apparent that there was still some life left in Charlotte when Sasha saw the porcelain behemoth's eye dart into Dolores' direction, staring right at her. Unbeknownst to Sasha, she wasn't the only one who was watching this; Kane, Daniel and Becky were all staring at them in pure silence.

'Charlotte…' Dolores said with a soft voice; tears formed in the corners of her eyes at the same time. 'Not for one day, not for one moment, did the thought of ever hurting you on purpose cross my mind. I would never hurt the one person who has always been there for me. Even before I brought you to life, you were the best and only friend I ever had. Holding you while listening to my parents' yelling would always ease the fear, talking to you lessened the loneliness. Even though you were just a doll back then… it always felt like you were already a real person to me. The memories I made with you during the first months of our new lives are some of the ones that I hold so dear, you have no idea. I will never forget what you have done for me. You were not only my friend… but you were also like a real mother to me. I created new friends because I thought that I could teach you how to get along with them and see that you wouldn't be replaced at all. But when I saw and felt how you reacted… I got so scared of you. I was afraid that you would hurt me or anyone else… that's why I locked you away. And during the years that followed, that fear never changed. I wanted to visit you, but at the same time, I was too scared. Only now I… I realize how much of a coward I have been that whole time. Charlotte… you have all the right to hate me. I'm so sorry for locking you up and leaving you here. And even despite everything that has happened this night, it doesn't take the good memories I have of you away. Despite all the horrible things you have done… you still mean so much to me. You will always be my very first friend… and the mother that I had needed so much. I'm so sorry for what I've done. I know that I can say sorry as much as I want, but… it won't bring back those 121 years. I love you, Charlotte. And I… I hope that you can forgive me.'

Silence…. there was nothing more but silence in the dark basement.

It happened right in front of Sasha's eyes. Tears with the size of a grown man's fist rolled down Charlotte's face, some of them bubbling up from her empty eye socket, dripping into the black liquid. It almost looked like there was no end to those tears. Then something astounding, yet beautiful at the same time followed. The entire basement was illuminated by the bright blue light that enveloped Charlotte's upper body, or what remained of it. It was so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes, even Dolores. Sasha watched between her parted fingers as the porcelain behemoth's upper body shrunk, taking on a far more natural size. The light eventually began to fade out more and more until it died out.

A soft gasp escaped out of the magenta-haired woman's mouth. Even though she had sustained an insane amount of damage… there was no way in denying that there was still a fair amount of beauty left in Charlotte. After 121 years, she had finally regained her formal form. Her remaining eye looked far more humane, able to express emotion. Her stark skin had gained a healthy tan. As a surprised Dolores gently helped her to lift her head, Charlotte's lips spread and curled into a warm smile. The look in her eye… it was the look that only a loving mother could give to her child.

'Oh little Dolly…' Charlotte said with an adoring tone in her voice, now able to move her mouth as she spoke. 'You have no idea how long I have waited to hear those words…'

Right after speaking that final word, Charlotte literally fell apart. Her head and remains of her torso split up in shards of all sizes, slipping through the gaps between Dolores' fingers and falling into the black liquid, sinking to the bottom, along with her eye and hair.

It was over.

Dolores broke down in tears, almost inaudibly sobbing until her body slumped to the left and fell over.

Daniel was the first one to call out her name in shock.


	19. The Blue Train Station

**Chapter 19**

 **The Blue Train Station**

A gentle warmth. That was the first thing that Sasha felt on her face.

At first she could only feel the warmth on her cheeks and nose, which was already very pleasant by then. Then it slowly spread to her forehead and eyes. When the warmth settled down on her closed eyes, it began to urge her to wake up from her dreamless nap. But she was so tired and relaxed at the same time, it was like it had been ages since she had felt this peaceful. No, please, just a few more minutes, then I'll wake up… the magenta-haired wanted to enjoy the tranquility this nap had brought her just a bit longer, but the warmth would eventually take the sleepiness away and gently urge her once more to wake up and go back to reality. As Sasha slowly began to open her eyes, a bright light drove the peaceful darkness away and filled up her sight. She had to close them once more and let out a soft groan. Unlike the last time she woke up in the enchanted mansion, she didn't have a pounding headache, which was actually nice for once. Time to try to wake up once again. Sasha carefully opened her eyes once more, now trying to adjust to the light. At first she thought that Daniel or Becky might had turned on a lamp or something… but when the magenta-haired woman saw where the light was actually coming from, she was wide awake in an instance.

Oh my God...

For a moment she almost thought that she was dreaming, she could hardly believe what she was seeing but it was there, it was really there! Between the snowy branches of the trees that formed most of the scenery behind the window, sunshine was shining through the glass, which explained why it felt so warm. She made it... as the realization had fully sunk into her mind, Sasha realized that had made through this night alive and in one piece. Her mouth curled into a relieved smile. Oh dear God, she had made it! Never in her entire life had she been this happy to see the morning sun. Not only did it bring this immense sense of safety, but also a sense of victory.

The magenta-haired woman couldn't stop staring at the sunlight she had been hoping to see for the entire night... until something very important crossed her mind, which made the euphoria that glowed brightly in her stomach take a backseat.

Dolores.

Right on that moment, Sasha noticed that she had been sitting in a chair during her entire nap. Her hand felt cold because she had rested it on the windowsill with her arm, which she had used as a pillow. Now she remembered. This was Daniel's bedroom! The all too familiar sound of clicking and rattling gears caught her attention. Looking over her shoulder, the magenta-haired woman's heart cringed in relief. It was Becky, still alive and well, thank God.

'How long was I out?' Sasha asked.

'Two hours, I believe… As soon as things calmed down a bit, ya dozed right off.' the robotic replied. That's when Sasha heard how soft and sad her voice was sounding. But why? Was it because of…? Sasha felt her heart skipping a beat while her stomach twisted itself into a tight knot. Oh dear God…

'Where is Dolores? I-Is she alright?'

Becky didn't speak a single word, but her face already said enough. No, Dolores was everything but fine, she was far from fine… Sasha's mouth became so dry that her tongue was sticking against her palate. She saw the maid glancing at Daniel's bed. Sasha turned her head and witnessed the most heartbreaking sight that she had ever seen in her entire life; she had to try her best not to break down in tears on the spot. This had to be a nightmare, it just had to be, but she was wide awake. Kane, Daniel, Aiden, Simon and Brie, the latter holding Oliver in her arms, stood around the bed in silence, their glistening, solemn eyes all staring down at the head with the short white hair that peeking from underneath the cover. Sasha's legs felt heavy as she stood up. It took three steps to reach the bed. Laying eyes upon her face made burning tears well up in the corners of her eyes.

There she was, little Dolores Fitzgerald. Her eyes were closed, her skin had grown much paler, her body didn't move an inch. It was like she was only sleeping, God, Sasha wished that this was indeed true, but deep inside, no matter how much she wanted to ignore it, she knew that this wasn't true. She was lying here because she had bled to death, this was all because she wanted to shield Sasha from Charlotte's final attack. This couldn't be real, oh God, she wanted her to open her eyes so badly, but the magenta-haired woman had seen the horrifyingly large red stain on her back when they got out of the basement, she had seen her unconscious body almost slipping out of Kane's arms because she continued to bleed so much, she had seen the blood leaving a sinister trail behind them as they headed towards Daniel's bedroom. She remembered Daniel taking off the white-haired girl's blood-soaked dress before briefly leaving and coming back to stitch up the deep wounds in her back (the needle he used slipped out between his closed thumb and index finger five times due to the immense amount of blood). There were no health potions left; this was the only thing he could do for her. Sasha had seen Dolores' chest slowly heaving after all of this was done; it was while she stared at it that her eyelids felt too heavy to keep her eyes open. She dozed off with the hope that Dolores would pull through… but it seemed like this was all just false hope in the end.

'Is she…' Sasha had to swallow the few drops of saliva she still had in her mouth to prevent her voice from cracking. 'Is she… dead?'

'No.' Daniel said. 'She's still breathing...' And then, when glancing at the white-haired girl's chest once more, Sasha saw much to her relief that it slowly heaved underneath the cover before sinking down. Oh thank God… the magenta-haired woman cracked a small smile, but it quickly disappeared when she heard Daniel say something that crushed that one shred of hope that she had build up during that brief moment: 'But she has lost too much blood to possibly make it.'

'What…?' the magenta-haired woman almost inaudibly whispered. 'Daniel, what do you mean by that? She's breathing, right? Dolores has to…'

'Dolores is dying, Sasha.' At this point, Daniel glanced at the floor and his breath shook as he breathed in through his nose. It was not only him who were affected the words that absolutely nobody had wished to hear. Knowing that their masks would expose their emotions anyway, Aiden and Simon took them off and let their tears flow. Kane squeezed his lips together, shook his head and turned around, but couldn't hide the tear that escaped his brighter eye in time. Holding her fussing infant son against her left shoulder, Brie softly sobbed. Becky tightly clenched her skirt in her metal fists in an attempt to hold back her own tears, but thin trails of oil soon trickled down her face nonetheless, dripping down and leaving small stains on the floor. Seeing all these grief-stricken faces almost made it impossible for Sasha to not break down and start crying as well. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, she refused to believe it, this couldn't be happening… not after everything Dolores had been through! 'No… this can't be happening!' she exclaimed.

When Daniel looked up, the magenta-haired woman saw that one tear had already reached his beard. 'I don't want to believe it either, Sasha… We all don't want to believe it. But there's absolutely nothing we can do to stop this. And it's not only Dolores who will die soon enough…' The faun gestured to the other side of his bedroom. Once again, Sasha couldn't believe what she was seeing. The wallpaper, paintings and even the plants had grown transparent and were slowly fading away; if she would blink her eyes a few more times, they would disappear into thin air. The now transparent wallpaper revealed the old wood that was hiding behind it, gaping holes started to appear in the floor… a second later, the faint but well-known smell of mold entered her nose. It took one glance at her own hand to make the magenta-haired woman notice that the bloodied bandage around her wounded hand started to become transparent as well. 'The magic that has created us and kept us here is connected to Dolores.' Daniel explained. 'It can't exist without her… and we can't exist without the magic. Now that she is dying, the magic will die along with her. It won't last long before we will fade away as well.'

'No…' Sasha slowly shook her head. 'Come on, Daniel, there's gotta be a way! This is so wrong, it can't end like this! It isn't fair! Tell me that there's a way that Dolores will live, that all of you will live! This is too messed up! For God's sake, there has to be a solution for this!'

Daniel silently shook his head and stared at the white-haired girl. He knelt down next to the bed, carefully grabbed her hand and trailed his thumb over the skin, gently squeezing now and then. Then Sasha could clearly see it; Dolores was slowly opening her eyes and stared back at the faun. 'I'm so sorry…' Daniel whispered as more tears spilled over his lower eyelids. 'I'm so sorry for all those horrible things I accused you of… All of those things that were said were coming from that one person who was based on the vague kindness of your mother's customers that was so important to you, the only sort of kindness you had ever received in your past was the gentle patting on your head you got from them when they saw you. Saying those things wasn't right. It's all thanks to you that I had the best life a faun could possibly wish for. If it wasn't for you, I would have never met Brie. I would never be the father of such a precious child like Oliver. I owe all of that to you…'

The lips of the white-haired child curled into a small smile. 'You… never resented me… for keeping you here?' she asked with a weak voice.

'No, never. Not once. Those 121 years altogether felt like one whole day for me.'

Letting out a soft sigh of relief, Dolores carefully lifted her head, only briefly whimpering due to the pain the stitches in her back brought with them. 'And you guys? Please, I beg you... be honest with me... Now is your chance to... to tell the truth...'

A few seconds of silence fell, which was interrupted by clicking and rattling when Becky walked towards the bed, sat down on the edge and patted Dolores on the head, earning another smile from her. 'Even though my creation was influenced by yer insecurity in the past and the feeling that ya were not perfect enough to receive the love of yer parents... there is no other lass in the whole wide world who I would rather be workin' for, my wee princess.' she said. 'I honestly can't believe 121 years have already past, I never noticed it. Ya were always kind and patient to me, no matter how many times I tripped, broke the plates or spilled the tea. Bein' yer maid was nothin' more but a wonderful experience.'

'Daniel once told me that by the time you were supposed to have the physical appearance of an adult, you knew that this would never happen.' Brie spoke. 'That's the influence that I was created from. But I never hated you for that, Dolores, because you gave me the greatest gifts possible... a beautiful garden to live in, a wonderful husband and a healthy son.'

Kane breathed in and out before he started to speak, possibly to regain some calmness. 'Your father had left such a dire impression on you during your entire life... it was only when you saw him killing your mother that the impression manifested itself into a fear of men. I was based on that, but still... I found joy in keeping you warm during the coldest days, Dolores.'

'Entertainment befitting the fine Victorian era was what you desired from us from the beginning...' Aiden said. 'And each play would be truly a success for us when you were clapping and smiling at the end.' Simon concluded.

'So... none of you resented me...' Closing her eyes, Dolores laid her head back on the pillow and sighed in relief once more. 'I'm so... happy to hear that... At least I can die while knowing that...' As soon as she spoke that final word, the white-haired child burst into a coughing fit; three small drops of blood flew out of her mouth and landed on the cover, an eerie reminder for everyone about her withering health.

It was silent in the bedroom of the Daniel. Suddenly, the faun looked up, widened his eyes in shock and softly gasped. 'The Blue Train Station!' he exclaimed.

His voice caused all the heads to turn to him, all with the same expression of pure surprise on their faces. This was the third time that Sasha had heard about this unexplored area of the now fading mansion, but from what she remembered correctly from the few last words Lana spoke before she met her fate, it did have something to do with... rebirth.

'We can bring her there!' the faun continued. 'My God, why haven't I thought of this earlier? If we can get there in time, we can catch the last train and her life will be saved! It's the only way!'

'Wait, but then... you guys have to come with her. Forgive if I'm wrong here, but like you said earlier, the magic here is tied to Dolores, right?' Sasha asked. 'And since you guys are bound to this magic as well... you would fade away anyway if Dolores would leave. You would stay behind and... and die.'

'That is true...' Daniel mumbled, staring at his own hands.

'Then we have to go, Daniel.' Brie said, causing the faun to look up. 'Please, listen to me. Look at Oliver. He never will get a chance to develop and fully experience life as it is if we stay here, it's not fair towards him. He's just a baby... As his mother, I want to give him that chance. I know how much you care about his well-being and happiness, Daniel... so don't you want to give him the opportunity to live as well? We can go together, as a family. We will still be together when we step out of that train. Our bodies will be changed into those of humans, but we still be together nonetheless. And Oliver can continue to live.'

Daniel silently stared at his infant son for a little, then shifting his gaze to his wife. 'You're right, Brie...' he said with a soft voice. 'You are absolutely right. Oliver deserves to live a longer life and see how beautiful the actual world really can be. I will go, with you and him.'

'Then I'm comin' too!' Becky said. 'Because after all, there has to be someone who will look after wee Dolores. And what about you, Kane? Feel like helpin' me out whenever I make a tumble again?'

The masked fire wielder's response was a silent nod.

'Well, Simon...' Aiden said to his companion. 'I feel like it is finally time to let the modern world know our names in the grand entertainment business. What do you say, my good friend?'

'I thought exactly of the same thing, pal. I say that we should accompany this colorful bunch of family members.' Simon answered and confirmed this by exchanging a firm handshake with his fellow director.

It was good to see that everyone had come to terms with their journey, but there was only one person left to have an opinion on this. Sasha sat down on the edge of the bed and put her hand on Dolores' shoulder. 'And what about you, Dolores? Do you want to go?'

After a few seconds of staring at the ceiling in silence, the white-haired child nodded. 'Yes...' she said with a soft voice.

'Very well then.' Becky said. 'Say, Sasha... Before we go, do ya want to get changed? I'm pretty sure yet clothes have dried up by now.'

* * *

It looked like the corruption that had tainted the rest of the mansion had thankfully died along with Charlotte. As the group descended down the stairs for one last time, Sasha, who was now dressed in her own clothes, couldn't spot one single speck of black liquid staining the fading wallpaper, furniture or floor, no doll arms sprouting from the walls, not even a whiff of that that god-horrid smell of rot and decay lingered in the air, like it had never existed. The magenta-haired would've felt absolutely relieved, which she did on a certain level, but knowing that Dolores and the residents who had been her only family and friends for well over a century would die if they wouldn't reach this mysterious Blue Train Station took the joy that she would feel with this relief away. Looking at Brie, whose sickly pale skin had turned back into a healthy color and was walking without ever having to stop for a moment to catch her breath, she figured that the garden had been cured from the corruption as well, luckily. But it was obvious that the garden would soon start to fade away as well, along with every other part of the mansion... hopefully this wouldn't affect her again. Would the nymph still be healthy when she would wake up as a human being in the modern world? Sasha hoped so, for the sake of Daniel and Oliver.

Not a single word was spoken by any member of the group. Kane was carrying Dolores in his arms, this time managing to get a good grip on her since she wasn't bleeding that much anymore. But that was also because there was barely any blood left inside her body, Sasha realized; that thought made goose bumps appear over her arms. She saw the white-haired girl's chest still heaving and sinking as they continued to walk down the stairs, which was a good sign, she dearly hoped that she would still be breathing when they would arrive at that train station. And speaking of which... where could this location possibly be? Sasha had gone to every single part of the mansion during the night, she was certain about that. Perhaps she had just overlooked it... And she also really, really, really hoped that there would still be a train waiting for them there in the first place, who knew, maybe the last one had already left when Charlotte had wrecked the backstage of the theatre. But if so, couldn't Dolores imagine another train? But the magenta-haired woman quickly dismissed that thought when she figured that Dolores might be too weak to do this. She remembered Kane yelling at the fleeing shadows that they had to go to that train station... so perhaps the shadows who had left before them had never went to his boiler room. They weren't going to leap into those flames, they were taking the train to the modern world in order to escape the chaos, even if they would be reborn as humans! It was only now where this logical realization struck Sasha.

It was when they walked through the south hallway that Sasha noticed that there wasn't one single shadow left in the mansion. They must have all left already, she figured. And she wouldn't blame them, not at all.

The group stopped at the door that lead to Kane's boiler room; even here the wallpaper, lamps, paintings and carpet weren't safe from slowly fading away. Daniel opened the door, revealing the slightly fire-damaged flight of stairs that had been waiting for them in the darkness. The last time Sasha had walked here, she had tried to find a way to escape from this mansion... and now it looked like her escape was finally within her reach, although not in the way that she had imagined it. Their descent began. In a straight line and while holding the guardrail, the group carefully walked down the long flight of stairs, of which the steps dangerously creaked, but miraculously managed to carry their weight without breaking in half. Kane and Dolores were in the front, followed by Daniel, Brie and Oliver, Becky, Aiden, Simon and at the end, Sasha. The silence was shortly interrupted by a cough coming from Dolores, which echoed through the empty darkness. Something splattered on the wood; possibly blood drops or maybe even tears. But at least it was a sign that the white-haired child was still with them, at least, for now... They reached the bottom of the stairs, passing by Kane's boiler room, but now that Sasha was here for a second time, she saw that she had indeed overlooked something. There was another flight of stairs, leading them deeper underneath the mansion, maybe even deeper than the basement, she figured. Since this flight of stairs hadn't been touched by Kane's flames when he had chased Sasha away, the steps were more stable to stand, making the second descent easier for the group. What the magenta-haired woman had noticed this whole time was the lack of warmth that had lingered here in the beginning of the night; she guessed that perhaps Kane's boiler had faded away already.

After taking one whole minute to walk down this flight of stairs, the group reached the bottom. A door could be seen in front of them. It was Daniel who opened it and allowed a bright blue light to replace some of the darkness. One by one, the members of the group stepped into the light.

Just when Sasha thought that she had seen every jaw-dropping, astounding, surreal part of this mansion by now... it clearly looked like there was one more last sight in store for her.

They were all standing on a large, long train platform, which was entirely made of blue grey, square-shaped stones. A few cobalt blue, wooden benches were placed in a row on the platform, offering everyone who had heavy luggage or simply wanted to sit down while waiting for their train a comfortable seat. The light bulbs inside the glass cases of the oxford blue lampposts next to the benches weren't glowing and they weren't going to activated in a very long time. One single train track could be spotted in front of the platform. Beyond this station there was absolutely nothing, only a thick, light blue mist. Seeing this mist made Sasha remember one of the very few childhood memories that hadn't to do with her family's dire financial situation. When she was around ten years old or so, she and her parents made a trip to the beach that was less than twenty kilometers away from the town where she grew up at, convinced that it was going to be a sunny day since the weatherman at the end of the morning news had said so. It turned out that the weatherman had been lying to everyone who had watched the weather forecast that morning; as soon as the Banks family arrived at the location, there was nothing more but mist, covering nearly the entire beach. It was one big cloud of nothingness, making it impossible to see anything... this mist of the Blue Train Station was perhaps even thicker than that.

'My God...' Sasha whispered as she looked around her. 'This place... It's incredible...'

'After Dolores was forced to lock Charlotte up in the basement, she had spend the following week in her bedroom, crying her eyes out.' Daniel calmly explained. 'When we all decided that this was enough and wanted to retrieve her from her bedroom, there was so many shadows in there that is was impossible to enter. It appeared that all those shadows had been Dolores' tears once. There were so many, much more than you saw this night. Most of them didn't want to stay here because it was that crowded. That's why Dolores created this area. It's for those who want to leave and go to the outside world. There will be no turning back once they leave. They shall be reborn as humans and live the life they want outside the mansion's walls, like they wanted. I... I never thought that I would board one of these trains at one point in my life.'

The magenta-haired woman looked left and right. 'But... I don't see a train.' she said. 'Do you think we are too la-'

'There it is!' Daniel suddenly said, pointing into the distance on the left.

Sasha turned her head and looked, but had to squint her eyes to get a better view on the tiny light in the thickness of the fog. As seconds passed, the light notably grew larger and larger, soon accompanied by a deep rumbling sound that became louder as a large shape became clearer and got closer to the platform. That's when Sasha noticed what the light exactly was. It was the lamp that was installed in front of the locomotive car of the train, making it easier for the immense transportation vehicle to find its way through the thick mist. It slowly approached the platform, but eventually reached it after a few more seconds. It was only when the train stopped in front of them with a loud hissing noise that Sasha got a real clear view on it... and once again, Dolores' imagination didn't fail to impress her. All the railcars behind the locomotive were entirely made of light blue steel, with large silver wheels and silver frames that gave all the windows an elegant touch. The roof was entirely royal blue. The magenta-haired woman managed to have one peek inside and saw rows of comfortable-looking, dark blue benches. It wouldn't last long before Dolores and the rest of her family would take a seat on some of those same benches, counting down the final seconds of them retaining their original bodies before a bright flash would follow. And when that flash would disappear, they would sit in those seats as human beings. A door in the middle of the railcar they were facing was opened, but much to Sasha's surprise, she didn't see a shadow dressed in a conductor's outfit to ask them for tickets. So this ride was free, then... just then, it struck that this would be the very last time she would ever see these persons, who had helped to make this night an absolutely unforgettable one.

'Well, this is it...' Becky said as she stared to the open door. 'Here we go, to our new lives... I wonder how it will look like.' Then, while letting out a sigh, the robotic maid turned to face Sasha and pulled her in for a hug; the magenta-haired woman responded by hugging her back. 'I'm so nervous, but at same time, I'm so excited... Hope I can make another cup of tea for ya as soon as possible, lass!'

Sasha softly chuckled. 'I hope so too... Goodbye, Becky.'

The robotic maid let go of her, smiled at her, nodded and stepped inside... but only two seconds later, a faint thud could be heard, followed by a muffled 'Oomph!' coming from Becky. And just before Sasha could chuckle once again, both her hands were gently grabbed and two kisses was pressed on the both backs, bringing a tickling sensation with them. Sasha looked up and saw that Aiden and Simon thought that it was their turn to say their goodbyes.

'Milady, it was an absolute pleasure to have you attending and witnessing our latest masterpiece.' Aiden said.

'We dearly hope you can be there as well when we create our newest one! It shall most likely be inspired by you!' This came from Simon.

'I will. You guys were great out there, I'm pretty sure you guys will go far in this world.' Sasha meant every word of this. She could spot a soft blush on Simon's cheek when he and his fellow director boarded the train and began to search for their spot. Playful cooing caught her attention next. Like it was his own way of saying goodbye, Oliver grabbed the magenta-haired woman's right index finger while a wide smile spread across his little face. Seeing this made Daniel and Brie smile from ear to ear, like the proud, loving parents they were. This is exactly how Sasha wanted them to be; that happy family that they absolutely deserved to be.

'Goodbye, little guy.' the magenta-haired woman said while patting the infant on the head, earning a giggle from him. Then she shifted her attention to Daniel and Brie. 'You guys deserve everything that is good and beautiful. I hope you will continue to be happy together.'

'I'm pretty certain we will.' Brie replied. 'As long as we stay together as a family, there's nothing that can possibly ruin us. This night has made our bond so much stronger, it was already strong before, but now I believe it's absolutely unbreakable. And mark my words, Sasha. When we will meet again... you can count on another little prank from me for sure.'

The magenta-haired woman briefly laughed. 'We will just see about that.'

'Thank you for everything you have done for us.' Daniel said with genuine gratitude. 'From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much, Sasha. It was an absolute honor to have you as our first ever guest. May we meet again one day.'

After the faun gave her a firm, warm handshake, he and his wife and son entered the train with a bright outlook on their future... which only left two more people to board.

There she was, still lying in Kane's arms, safe and sound. Dolores and Sasha stared at each other in silence. Seconds ticked by, but the magenta-haired woman, it felt like time had frozen in the Blue Train Station. It was this little girl who had greeted her in the dining room when they met for the very first time, allowed her to explore all the areas of the mansion she wanted, spend time to get to know her better, counted on her protection, entrusted her with her life... and now she would leave and be reborn with perhaps a whole different body. Would she still be a child when it would be over or an adult? Sasha honestly had no idea... but one thing was for sure, though; the tears in the corners of her eyes were burning so much that they just hurt. Would she still remember her, or would the memories of her fade away as she leaves behind her mortally wounded body? Sasha would never forget her. Ever. Leaving with that train was the only way to save her life and she knew that, she wanted nothing else but this innocent little girl to survive... but then why did she want to cry so badly?

'Kane? Could you... please put me down for a moment...?'

As soon as her feet touched the stones, Dolores carefully took two steps towards the magenta-haired woman, who in return knelt down. The next moment, she wrapped her arms around her neck and pulled her in for hug. That's when Sasha couldn't hold back the tears anymore. While she hugged her back, she softly sobbed, allowing the tears to trickle down her face.

'Sasha, please don't cry...' Dolores said. 'Why are you so sad?'

'It's... It's because I will miss you, sweetie.' Sasha sobbed. 'I have no idea when we will see each other again, or if this is the last time I will ever see you...'

'But we will see each other again. I will come back, you will see. It could be tomorrow, a week, a few months, maybe even a year... but one thing is for sure. We will definitely meet again, Sasha. I promise you that. One day, we will run into each other and... uh... what shall we do then?'

A soft chuckle escaped past Sasha's lips. 'I'll tell you what we'll do.' she said. 'First, I will take you to the mall, where we will go shopping. You will be surprised by how many cute outfits there are for little girls in this time period. After that, we will go have pizza for lunch in the best Italian restaurant in town. I'm sure that you will love it. And then, after that, I will take you for a stroll at the beach and we will watch the sun set together. What do you think? Does that sound like fun to you, Dolores?'

'I am...' The white-haired girl smiled from ear to ear. 'I am already looking forward to it...' Then she suddenly burst into another coughing fit.

'You should go now before it's too late.' Sasha said as she let go of her. 'Or else you will miss the train. Go. They are all waiting for you, you know that, missy?'

'Here. Take this for the way back.' Kane suddenly said. Sasha looked up and saw a bright, warm orb of fire emerging from the palm of his gloved hand. After the magenta-haired woman quickly stood up, he handed the flaming orb over to her; much to her surprise, her hands weren't burned despite the heat it produced. 'Use this to incinerate the front door.' the masked fire wielder explained. 'It shall melt the snow that blocks it as well. You have to hurry up, though, or else it shall fade away.'

'Thank you, Kane.'

He gave her a brief nod and picked up Dolores. 'Goodbye.' That was the last thing he said to the magenta-haired woman before he and Dolores entered the train as the last passengers. It wouldn't last long before Sasha would be able to catch another glimpse of the white-haired child; she and the masked fire wielder settled down at the window in front of her. Kane stared straight ahead of him, but Dolores turned her head to stare at Sasha one last time. While resting her head against the comfortable material of her seat, she smiled at the magenta-haired woman and slowly waved, mouthing the word 'Bye' as she did so. Despite the many tears that were trickling down her cheeks now, Sasha smiled back at her and silently mimicked the gesture, while holding the flaming orb in her other hand.

Right on that moment, the door of the railcar closed and a loud whistling noise could be heard. White smoke emerged from the locomotive in the front. That's when the entire train was put to motion. While the silver wheels began to spin, the train emitted a monotone chugging sound as it slowly departed from the platform, soon increasing more in speed. Sasha didn't move an inch. Instead, she and Dolores continued to stare at each other, continuing do so while the train drove further and further away, turning their heads as they did so.

The last thing Sasha saw were a few strands of her white hair in the window... then the train left the station and disappeared in the mist that was ahead of it.


	20. Make My Heart A Better Place

**Chapter 20**

 **Make My Heart A Better Place**

It was just her now. All alone in a mansion of which the interior would soon fully disappear, erasing all traces of the magic, like no one had ever lived here since the end of the Victorian era.

Sasha stared into the distance and watched the train disappear in the mist, increasing the distance between them. The tears that had spilled out of her eyes earlier had stopped dead in their tracks halfway her cheeks, where they dried up, causing the skin to feel somewhat sticky and a bit itchy. The magenta-haired woman didn't move an inch, as if her legs were somehow frozen stuck to the train platform.

Dolores was gone. Everyone was gone. She was the only one who was still left here, all by herself, with one final, small, flaming gift in her hands. Speaking of which...

Sasha glanced down at her hands, which she had shaped in such a way to form some sort of bowl to keep the burning orb in place. That's when she remembered the words Kane had spoken to her before he left. It immediately snapped her out of her trance. Dear God, there was no time to stay here, she had to leave! This was possibly her only way to finally get out of here, standing here any longer would waste the precious time that she still had left! The magenta-haired woman wasn't entirely sure of this, but she could almost swear that the orb had slightly shrunk already.

Yes, she had to leave. Now.

Sasha glanced at the mist for one last time, knowing that Dolores was well on her way now to a new life and body. Her life had been saved, along with those of the others, that's why she had came here. It worked, but now it was time to say goodbye and get out while she still could.

Now that the comforting thought of that precious white-haired child would continue to live had found a way into her mind, Sasha then turned around and ran back to the door as fast as she could, hoping that the stairs would still be there when she would open the door. When she did so, she found out that this was luckily true. The flight of stairs was still there, but it wouldn't last long before it would disappear along with everything else in this dying mansion. Sasha didn't even bother to close the door behind her, fearing that this could take away irreplaceable time. That's when she began to run up the stairs. The open door provided her with the light that was coming from the Blue Train Station, revealing the steps in front of her. This was nothing less but useful. Sasha ran up the staircase as fast as she could, yet she was still careful enough to not let the flaming ball fall out of her hands. Her eyes were burning, her heart was pounding inside her head, her lungs began to ache as well due to her rapid breathing. No, this time she wasn't scared because there was a murderous, heartbroken doll chasing after her like an enraged animal, but she was in fact scared because somehow she was afraid to fade away as well if she wouldn't reach the top in time, even though she knew that she had never been created by magic powers. It didn't make sense, but still, that thought was there. It wasn't only that, though. The flaming orb was bound to disappear if she wouldn't make it, the thought of it vanishing before she could even touch the doorknob of the front door made her want to run even faster, but this was as fast as she could go. While Sasha ran farther up the stairs, she noticed that the light behind her strongly dimmed. Was it because the Blue Train Station had already completely faded away, simply the distance, or perhaps a combination of both? The magenta-haired woman didn't know, but she refused to look over her shoulder to check it out, convinced that a dark void of nothingness was right behind and swallow her up if she would lay eyes upon it for less than a second. Thankfully the flaming orb provided her with some light, just enough to see where she was going. There she ran, all alone in the darkness, with only one source of light to guide her. Her footsteps echoed through the whole empty space. Sasha soon noticed that her legs began to feel heavy, but she absolutely refused to stop for a second to catch her breath; as soon as would stand outside in the winter cold, she would maybe reward herself with a short break.

'Come on, just a little bit more, I can do this...!' Sasha whispered to herself when she passed by the door of the boiler room. Yes, she could do this, she believed that she could get out of here in time, she had push herself a bit longer. She needed that confidence more than ever, there was no point in stopping now to break down in more tears over the parting of her and the little girl who had found herself a way into her hardened heart. As soon as she heard the steps loudly creak underneath her feet, the magenta-haired woman knew that it wouldn't last long now. With each step she took, she was afraid that the wood would break in half and sending her plummeting down in the suffocating darkness, but she quickly figured that nothing could go wrong if she just kept running with the small amount of energy that was left in her body. Sasha glanced at the flaming ball in her hands now and then and once again noticed that its size had grown smaller, causing the light it produced to decrease as well.

And then there it was, right in front of her; the door that would lead her to the main hallway. Sasha's heart almost exploded in relief, but she knew she wasn't there yet. From the moment she doorknob was within her reach, she reached out with her hand before she ran up the final two steps; she never thought she would be so happy to touch the cold metal.

For one horrible second she was afraid that the doorknob would fall right off. The door opened with a loud creak, but opened without any trouble nonetheless. As soon as she finally reached the very top of the stairs, Sasha swung the door open, causing it to hit the wall with a loud bang. Allowing her eyes to gaze upon her surroundings, it quickly became perfectly clear how much the condition of the mansion's interior had deteriorated since her visit to the last, mysterious area of this place that had yet to be explored. The umbrella-shaped lamps on the wall and the beautiful paintings were already gone. There was practically almost nothing left of the wallpaper. The light pink flowers were barely visible in contrast to the fungus-stained brick walls that were ruined by large, gaping holes that exposed the old, dusty wooden beams that had been hidden there during those many years. This is what Dolores must have seen when she encountered this place for the very first time, possibly shivering all over due to the rain soaking her clothes and holding onto her beloved doll for dear life. It was nothing like the clean, warm hallway Sasha was pulled through by an overly enthusiastic Becky at the beginning of the night, it was like it had never existed. So cold, so lifeless, so... empty. Even though she had refused to do this earlier, Sasha couldn't help but carefully look over her shoulder. The sight was exactly what she had expected; the staircase behind her had turned into a dark nothingness. The realization that she could've been trapped in there if she happened to slip and fall... it send a chill running up her spine. She turned her head, gazing into the main hall at the very end of the hallway. It was only then where that feeling of emptiness that had lingered here earlier became so heavy that it sank into her. The large chandelier that illuminated the main hall was gone, there wasn't a single piece of furniture, it was like the door to Brie's garden had never been there. One step on the stairs and you were bound to crash through it. Dust had already began to cover the floor, leaving a musty smell.

It was indeed the death of the enchanted mansion.

Even though the empty feeling somehow almost made her want to stare at the dilapidated interior, Sasha refused to let it stop her now. She turned her head, facing the front door. Right there, behind that wood, the outside world was waiting for her. Her freedom was just within her reach, kept away from her for the entire night by that very same door and the insane amount of snow. Sasha had no idea how to correctly use the key to said freedom that was the orb of flames at first, but it soon became pretty obvious. The magenta-haired woman took three more steps. Now she was standing right in front of the door. It was here were she entered the mansion... and now it will the same place where she will exit it.

It was now or never.

Sasha took a deep breath and held it when she threw the flaming orb at the wood. In the blink of an eye, the fire covered every inch of it and produced a bright, orange glow, causing her to close her eyes for a moment to protect them from the heat. Then, much to her delight, she heard liquid dripping onto the floor and a few seconds later, sunlight fell into the mansion, accompanied by a cold, but delightful breeze. Sasha opened her eyes and felt her heart cringing in relief. The door had completely burned away, along with the huge heap of snow that had blocked it. She stepped further into the light, letting the gentle warmth touch her skin and warm it up. She stopped in the doorway and looked over her shoulder, gazing into the hallway for the very last time.

'Goodbye, Dolores.' the magenta-haired woman said with a soft voice. Then she turned around and slowly walked away.

* * *

It was only when she breathed in the cold wind that she realized that it was finally over.

One. Two. Three. That was the amount of steps that Sasha took to walk down the small flight of stairs and step into the thick layer of fresh snow. Everywhere she looked, there was snow, covering the ground, branches of the trees and bushes. The snowflakes sparkled in the light of the sun, almost resembling small diamonds. The outside world hadn't changed the slightest during her stay in the mansion that night. The sky was bright and blue, not one cloud could be seen. At first there was silence, which was soon interrupted by the shrill but harmonious tweeting of some birds in the far distance, celebrating the birth of a new day.

Tranquility washed over Sasha like a tidal wave. It was nearly impossible to believe it, it felt too surreal for words, but she was really here, outside, in the woods. It felt so surreal that the magenta-haired woman thought that she was still asleep in Daniel's bedroom and wake up at any second, but this was everything but a dream. She could feel the cold of the snow that was piercing through the suede of her ankle boots, the sunlight on her face, the soft breeze that rustled through her hair...This was real. Everything around her was real. She was free.

She started to walk with a slow pace. Despite the fact that she was walking through a thick layer of untouched snow, it felt she wading through air for the magenta-haired woman. Crunching of snow filled her ears. Looking around her, Sasha realized that not one animal had dared to come out during the blizzard, since no traces could be found. Every animal that could possibly live here, from a robin to a bear, hadn't been out a night. Sasha looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of a person or at least a shadow, but it was just her and her alone, walking through this snowy woods in the morning. The sunlight had grown warm enough to make small amounts of snow fall from the branches of the tall trees; soft, nearly inaudible rustling was heard when it touched the ground. Sasha barely noticed it, but she was beginning to walk faster, like her own legs had gained a mind of their own. The mansion, now transformed back into its original state, was behind her and she knew that. The magenta-haired woman felt the presence of it piercing into her back, as if it had somehow grown a pair of huge eyes and stared at her as she headed into the tree line. It gave her chills, it was that damn uncomfortable. She wanted to get rid of that feeling, she wanted that so badly. But for some godforsaken reason, it almost looked like it wasn't the mansion itself that was staring at her... but Dolores. Sasha's breath hitched and she shook her head. Damn it, she shouldn't think like that! Dolores was gone, long gone! New tears were made and burned in her eyes while Sasha began to walk even faster. The world she had been in during the night had vanished, all she wanted to do was to go back to her own, real world. Alice, thirsting for the reality and logic that she needed so badly, had crawled out of the rabbit hole, leaving Wonderland behind her once and for all. Even though the distance between Sasha and the mansion increased more and more as each second passed, the magenta-haired woman still felt like Dolores was watching her. She had tears in her eyes, because she hated to see her first ever guest leaving. But she had to, damn it, she had to go home...!

That's when Sasha started running. So many tears were formed that it clouded her sight. Her breath hitched over and over again, causing her throat to feel sore. Dear God, she just wanted to get out of here! Not for one second did she look behind her. Between the flurry of incoherent thoughts that went through her head, Sasha planned to find the road, where her car was, her safe haven. Of course she remembered that it still had a flat tire, but she didn't think about how to get away as soon as she would get there. As long as she could shake of that horrible feeling by the time she would find the road, it would be fine. Suddenly, Sasha noticed that she was running up a steep hill. She fell on her knees, but managed to catch herself before she could land face-first in the fresh snow. Was it the same hill she tumbled off when she searched for help? That could mean she was going the right way. The magenta-haired woman crawled up the hill, barely feeling the cold snow soaking the material of her pair of trousers. Eventually, she managed to get back up on her feet and reach the top. From there on, she continued to run. The magenta-haired woman had no idea which direction to take from this point on, but she thought that if she kept running in a straight line, she would most likely find the road. And that's exactly what she did. Her eyes were so full with tears that it was impossible to hold them back anymore. Hot tears spilled over her cheeks, clearing her view at the same time. Transparent, warm clouds escaped out of her mouth, passing by her face before evaporating into thin air like a sugar cube in a glass of water. While she ran like the Devil himself was after her, the only thing Sasha could see was the color white, mostly because it was literally all around her. By this time, she barely even felt the cold. The loud heartbeat in her head and her panting overlapped the peaceful singing of the birds. The magenta-haired woman almost tripped over her own feet on some occasions, but thankfully managed to regain her balance each time. The tears wouldn't stop coming; no matter how fast Sasha ran, she was unable to shake off the feeling of Dolores watching her, even though the mansion was far behind her.

And then finally, after what felt like a century to her, Sasha could clearly see it in the distance, past the tree line.

The road.

Oh thank God! She was almost there! Her legs were sore like hell, her muscles were screaming in pain, but Sasha ignored all of it and forced herself to keep going for that last amount of distance. Her ankle boots and socks were soaking wet due to all the snow she had run through, but that didn't matter, nothing mattered, because she was almost there. Sasha continued to run, ignoring all the pain in her body. As she got closer, she could see tire tracks cutting through the snow that had covered the road. People... there had been people here this morning! But that realization hadn't fully sunk into Sasha yet, because the only thing she could think of was getting to that road.

It took less than ten seconds and a brief tumble in the snow, but eventually the heels of the magenta-haired woman touched the asphalt. Then, when she turned her head to the left, she saw a mountain of snow on the side of the road that was shaped in a form that she knew very well, fifteen meters away from her. It was her car. It had been entirely buried by the snowstorm, but it was her car nonetheless. Sasha gathered the last amount of energy that she still had left and sprinted towards it; from the second her hand touched the hood, the realization that she had made it alive and in one piece finally sunk into the magenta-haired woman.

Sasha Banks had made it.

Her legs trembled so violently that they went numb and gave up on her. She fell on her knees, feeling like the world around her was spinning. Only then, the magenta-haired woman realized how much her hands were shaking, like she had no control over them. Her throat was burning like hell as she eagerly caught her breath, filling her lungs with cold air. And yet, despite the fact that she was safe, the tears wouldn't stop running down her cheeks. Sasha loudly sobbed and covered her face with her hands, the realization that she was still alive had struck her with the impact of a crashing truck. Never in her entire life had she been this grateful to be alive. The muscles in her legs were pulsing, her hands wouldn't stop shaking, her lungs and heart felt like they were going to explode, all those sensations pierced through the adrenaline-fueled numbness and she felt it all at the same time, but the gratefulness for the fact that had made it alive through this nightmarish night triumphed above them all.

When the tears eventually ran out, Sasha looked up. How long had she been here? Minutes? Hours? She had absolutely no idea; it felt once again like another century had passed. It was completely silent on the road, that is, if you didn't count the continuous singing of all the birds in the woods as a sound. But it didn't last long before another, easily recognizable sound could be heard... the soft roaring of a car's engine.

Sasha widened her eyes and let out a soft gasp in surprise. It was coming from right behind her! Using the hood of her car to support herself, she succeeded in getting herself back up on her feet. Looking over her shoulder, she thought that she was going to break down in tears once more, this time of relief. Yes, she could clearly see it, oh thank God in Heaven, this timing couldn't have been any better. A police car was getting closer to her, driving with a calm speed and the emergency lights turned off. Sasha started to frantically wave her arms in the air, trying her best to catch the attention of whoever was driving the police car. That person just had to notice her, there could be no way in hell he or she could possible not! And then, much to her increasing happiness, Sasha saw the vehicle slowing down more and more, until it came to a stop on the side of the road, just one meter away from her snowy car. The driver's door opened and a police officer stepped out. It was a young man in his early thirties, with a tanned skin, big brown eyes, black hair that was combed to the back and neatly trimmed facial hair of which the color matched with that of his hair.

'Is everything alright, ma'am?' the police officer asked. 'Do you need help?'

Sasha nodded and walked towards him. 'Oh thank God, thank God...' she breathlessly whispered. 'Please, sir, you have to get me out of here. My... My car got a flat tire last night and... I have been s-stuck here since then. I couldn't call anybody...'

'Last night, you said?' The police officer looked around him. 'I have to say, ma'am, it's an absolute miracle that you are still standing here, you could've frozen to death in that blizzard. Why didn't you stay inside your car? From what I can see, the lock must have been frozen shut by now.'

'I... I went out to look for help.'

'And did you manage to find shelter until dawn?'

'Y-Yeah...'

'My God, you are one lucky woman, if I have to be honest... What is your name, ma'am? Do you happen to have some form of identification with you?'

'Uh... Uh, no... I-I left my wallet at home when I left. My name is Sasha, Sasha Banks. And if you don't mind me asking, officer... what is your name?' Deep inside her heart, the magenta-haired woman actually hoped that this friendly-looking police officer would actually be Daniel, or maybe even Kane, in his reborn form. And would he remember her? There was only one way to find about that, and that was by asking his name. But the answer wasn't really what she had hoped for.

'I'm Officer Mustafa Ali.' he replied and confirmed this by showing her his badge, perhaps thinking that she thought he would be lying about his identity. 'Look, Ms. Banks, how about we take you to the police station and figure out the rest over there? You must be freezing cold, it's not good for you to stay here any longer. I think I have a blanket in the back of the car, I'm pretty sure you could use it. Please, take a seat in the back while I get it for you.'

One second after Mustafa opened the back door, Sasha plopped down on the seat and sighed in relief; who knew she would ever be this happy to sit in the back of a police car? That thought briefly made her chuckle, despite everything that had happened a few moments ago. From the corner of her eye, she saw the police officer (who... actually looked quite handsome, if you asked her) opening the trunk of the vehicle and retrieving a silver-colored blanket. 'Here you go, hope it's warm enough.' he said while he gently covered the magenta-haired woman's upper body with it. 'Thank you so much.' she whispered. Officer Mustafa then closed the door, walked to the driver's side and sat down, closing the driver's door with a dull thud. He grabbed his walkie-talkie and reported to whoever was on the other side that he was driving back to the police station with a woman whose car had broke down, even requesting to prepare fresh, hot coffee when they would arrive. That was very nice of him... Sasha closed her eyes and rested the back of her head against her seat, convinced that everything was going to be fine from now on.

But then, she suddenly opened her eyes. There was something really, really, really important that she still wanted to take care of.

She decided that it was time to put her selfish, materialistic life behind her.

'Hey, Mustafa... I mean, officer. Do you have a cell phone? I'm pretty sure that mine has run out of battery by now and... I really have to make an important phone call. Please. I have to do this. You have no idea how important this call is to me, please...'

'Well... I often patrol this area and there's usually no signal here, but you could try. Here you go.' Much to the magenta-haired woman's increasing relief, he actually retrieved a cell phone from his pocket and handed it over to her. When she switched the screen, she could hardly believe what she was seeing; there was one small bar in the upper right corner! She shouldn't waste any time, it could go away at any second. Her hands had slightly stopped trembling when she had taken a seat, but now they began to tremble again. Despite this, Sasha managed to type in a phone number that she knew by heart... and yet didn't call for years. After she was done typing, she pressed the button that displayed a small green phone. Her heartbeat began to increase, she had absolutely no idea what would happen next. She pressed the cell phone against her ear and held her breath.

A few seconds passed before rustling could be heard from the other side. 'Hello, who is this?' the sleepy voice of a woman asked.

It was a voice that Sasha knew so well... and now, it brought tears to her eyes.

'Mom...' she said, trying to hide the trembling in her voice. 'It's me... Sasha...'

'Sasha...?' The sleepiness immediately vanished. 'Oh my God, baby girl... is that really you?'

'Yeah, yeah Mom, it's me. But please, if you want to, listen to me...' Sasha thought she had ran out of tears earlier, but this was proven wrong when new ones trickled down her face. 'I know that you might be mad as hell at me after everything I have done. I have said so many horrible things to you and I have ignored you for years. I have resented you and Dad for not giving me the kind of childhood that I wanted and I made that perfectly clear to you in the most awful way possible. Mom, I'm... I'm... I'm so sorry for all of that! I was so selfish! I was so damn selfish that I had forgotten how much of a wonderful childhood you have actually given me! You and Dad didn't have much money at all from as long as I can remember but you never stopped giving me love and attention. You were always good to me, no matter what happened, and I see that now. I can imagine that you never want to see me again, but Mom, I want you to know... that I'm truly sorry for how I treated you. You two deserve so much better. And I love you so damn much.'

Silence.

'Oh, baby girl...' Sasha's mother said with a soft voice. ' You finally spoke those words... We love you too. And of course we still want to see you. You're our daughter, remember? You will always be our precious, beautiful Sasha. Not once did we stop loving you. We knew exactly how you felt and honestly, we didn't blame you for it. I can only imagine the pain you had gone through during your school days. You felt like the only way to stop that horrendous bullying was to be like those girls... Not one day passed where we didn't think about you. You don't know for how long I have waited to talk with you again. Darling, it's so... so good to hear you. You have no idea how much we missed you. You're our only child. I forgive you, baby girl. And if you feel like doing so... maybe we could celebrate Christmas together. As a family, once more.'

Sasha smiled from ear to ear and nodded. 'I... I would love to. Thank you, thank you, thank you so much...' she whispered while brushing away her tears with her left thumb.

But it wasn't only her mother who Sasha was thanking... it was also a certain little girl with white hair, who had changed her life forever.

 **And just like that, my friends, 'Imaginary' has come to an end! Thank you all so much for reviewing, faving and following this fanfic, you have no idea how much your support means to me. I really hope you enjoyed reading this! I love you all! See you next time!**


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